Soulmates
by Miss Darling Julie
Summary: What if when you woke up on your eighteenth birthday, the first words your soulmate will say to you is tattooed somewhere on your body? TIVA "Hi... I was just..." "Having phone sex?" AU with some canon. S3
1. Chapter 1

**I was on tumblr when I saw this post that said: "What if you woke up on your 18****th**** birthday and you had a tattoo with the first words your soulmate ever says to you?" So I decided to make it into a Tiva fanfic, because really? "Having phone sex?" being Ziva's first words to Tony? Waaaayyyy to good to pass up. **

**Disclaimer: I own a half-eaten Easter egg and a glass of stale water. So, no.**

It has always just been a way of life. On your eighteenth birthday you wake up with a tattoo of the first words your soulmate will say to you. The tattoos were of course always someplace hidden, as in covered by everyday clothing, to prevent any stranger from using it as a pick-up line. This is of course based on the principle that at least some words are exchanged before the other person had a chance to see under the clothes.

It may seem like a strange way to go about life, but it was the only way people have ever known. It has been happening for so long that it is never questioned and the source of it has never been determined.

Some teenagers couldn't wait for it to come, because when you meet your soulmate, you will know. After they turned eighteen, they anxiously waited every day when meeting new people, excited for what they would say first and if it will be the same words that are forever imprinted on their skins. And when they eventually did meet that person and it doesn't work out at first, they don't have to worry because they know that they are meant to be together. But those who were already in relationships were always nervous, for what if their tattoos didn't match each other?

For some, it was a source of absolute torment. Who wanted to be nervous the entire time, wondering if the next person they meet will be "the one"? And what if they died before you had a chance to meet them? What would be the point of waiting? And how would you even know they died? Why would you get a tattoo if you never even meet?

Others just ignored it. They figured that it was useless to wait for some random person to say a specific couple of words to you before you could enjoy life. It might seem stupid to be in a relationship with someone knowing that it will not last, but most people didn't want to spend their entire lives waiting for someone when they didn't know when that moment would be.

And that is how the world lived. Children were brought up to believe that you shouldn't go looking for love - love will find you. Because, like their parents and their parents and everyone before them, it could happen when you're least expecting it.

For some, it was okay, seeing as their less than generic tattoos would help them identify their soulmates right away. But when Ziva David woke up in Tel Aviv on her eighteenth birthday with the word "Hi" tattooed on her left hipbone, she was a little put off. Seriously? "Hi"? Every new person she met would probably say that to her! Why couldn't she get something with a little bit more guidance?

After ranting about it for a few days, she decided not to let it bother her. She was a Mossad assassin after all - she was likely to die on a mission before she met her soulmate. Thus she never even thought about it when someone said "Hi" to her. Little did she know that one day, it would really matter.

Party-boy player Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo was a little puzzled, but hardly surprised, as he looked in the mirror on his eighteenth birthday with the words "Having phone sex?" written in black on his ribcage under him right arm. His mother, of course, was furious. His father only gave him a wink and a manly pat on the shoulder. His buddies were naturally very excited and praised him for getting a girl say that to him.

In his college days, he of course had many, many girlfriends and they didn't necessarily decrease in number when he finally became Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo in his late twenties.

He never really thought about his tattoo, as he didn't care to find his soulmate much. He was very happy having women run after him and taking a different one to bed every next week. It was part of the DiNozzo charm.

Until he met Kate. He liked her, he'll admit, but he never made a move. Why, he didn't know for certain. Gibbs would have headslapped him if he did in any case. He was attracted to her, and loved the way they always flirted with each other. And the way her hair would sometimes fall in her face and she'd angrily push it away. He knew he felt something a little more than friendship toward her after Ari held her captive in Autopsy. He had thought that she might feel something for him when she refused to leave his side during the pneumonic plague. And how McGeek had said that she was really worried about him. He remembered the look on her face when he "saved" her from that snake.

And now she is gone.

He is so angry. At Ari. At himself for not being able to save her. At the universe for being so cruel.

Gibbs and the new director came into the bullpen and then left after a few seconds of talking. He had to admit: Director Shepard was kind of hot.

And then he saw her. Standing before him in probably the sexiest outfit he had ever seen. He was staring at her with a stupid smile on his face when she spoke.

"Your mother should have washed your mind out with soap. Gibbs leaves with a woman and your only thought is: 'Nooner!' "

"Was not!" he scoffed.

"Was too. I've always known what you where thinking, Tony." She paused, noticing the look on his face. "What? What are you up to?" Realising he was staring at her looking like a man who hasn't eaten in a week, she looked down and saw what she was wearing. "Tony?! I just died and you're having a sexual fantasy?"

"Can't help it."

"DiNozzo?!"

"Sometimes I used to picture you naked..."

Hearing Kate scream, he noticed the woman standing in the entrance of the four cubicles. She was beautiful, with her olive-toned skin, dark curly hair and gorgeous chocolate-brown eyes. He felt himself instantly attracted to her, thoughts of Kate moved to the back of his mind as he look in her natural beauty. She wasn't caked with make-up like the usual blonde bimbos he went for. In fact, she was the exact opposite. And he found that he liked it. Realising that she just heard what he was saying, he quickly tried to salvage the situation.

"I'll call you back," he said and pressed the speaker button on his desk phone. Hearing it beep, he slammed on it again. "Hi…" He paused for a few seconds, not knowing what to say. "I was just…"

He nearly fell out of his chair when he heard the first words out of her mouth.

"Having phone sex?"

It can't be.


	2. Chapter 2

**A giant thank you to my followers! I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

Tony's mind reeled.

He couldn't take it in. It was too much to process.

It was _her_. His soulmate. The one he has not been looking for. The one he has never actually wanted.

And now this beauty walks in and he is entirely unsure of what to do.

"Phone sex, no." He laughs nervously. "Uh, charades." Damn him. Couldn't he have come up with something better than that? But he was too distracted. By her.

"Charades? Like a…" He watches as she does the "movie" motion.

"You've played."

"Never on the telephone." Of course, you idiot! How do you play charades on the telephone?

"Yeah, my partner and I were coming up with quotes for Saturday night."

"You play charades on Saturday nights?" She sounded incredulous. Right. He wasn't eighty.

"To kill time before I go clubbing," he said, trying to sound cool and make up for his stupidity. "Who are you?" He desperately wanted to know who this woman was. After all, the tattoo says that he'll spend the rest of his life with her.

"Ziva David, Mossad."

"_You're Israeli_?" Shit. His father is going to kill him. He was brought up strictly Catholic. How in the hell did his soulmate end up being Jewish? Not that he was in any way against Jews - in fact he wasn't really into the entire Catholic thing as he was supposed to be - but his family might not see it that way. He spied the Star of David necklace around her neck. It was beautiful, just like its wearer.

"Very good, the way you made that connection: Mossad, Israeli." He watched as she strolled over to Gibbs' desk and he couldn't help but notice her incredible figure.

"What can I do for you Ms. David?" _I want to kiss you. I want to do anything for you._

"Nothing, I'm here to see Special Agent Gibbs."

"How do you know I'm not Gibbs?" She laughs. She is even more beautiful when she laughs. He watches as she lets her backpack slide off of her shoulders and he almost wants to jump up and help her. Then she sits down in the Probie's chair and smiles again.

"Gibbs?" she asks with a raise of her eyebrows. Right. He'll never be Gibbs.

"He'll be back in an hour. You sure I can't help you?" He is pretending to be irritated now, because he cannot allow himself to feel something for this woman. Tony DiNozzo cannot settle down.

She tuts, and damn it if he doesn't find that hot. "I don't think so." She smiles again. Oh, what the hell! He can't help it. He wants to know this woman.

He sighs as they look at each other, silence hanging between them for a second. He decides that it's now or never. He better try and salvage this if he ever wants to have a semblance of normality in his life again.

"We got off to a bad start," he says as he stands up and walks over to where she is sitting. "I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I wasn't playing charades, I was remembering my partner." Oh, Kate.

"Naked?"_Salvage, Tony! Not make it worse!_

"No. Yes. I..." She tilts her head and looks at him with those eyes. Those eyes he just wants to get lost in. "I was just. Look, I'm not the only man who does it."

"Oh, women do it too," she pauses and she looks at him. First his feet, then to where his hands are clasped in his belt buckle. And finally, up to his face where he looks into her eyes again. "With handsome men," she continues. He has to get out of her space. _Now,_ before he does something stupid like kiss her and ruin everything. So he grunts and turns back to his desk. He almost has a heart attack when he hears her speaking up again. "And even an occasional woman."

Oh, he is dead.

"Now you're teasing me."

She chuckles, and he finds it adorable. "Didn't your partner tease you?"

"Not about sex, Kate was kinda puritanical." Why did they have to talk about Kate?

"Sorry."

"It didn't matter," he suddenly felt the urge to explain himself. "I wasn't interested in her; we were..." He drifts off as he watches her remove her headband and loosen her hair. Oh, how he wanted to run his fingers through those thick locks... "Partners," he finished lamely.

"She wasn't attractive?"

"She was; not to me." _But you are,_ he wanted to scream.

"Then why did you imagine her naked?" Well, she had a point there. But Kate wasn't the one he wanted to imagine naked right now. He smiled and waved his finger at her, watching as she smiled brightly again.

He had to calm down. Remain professional, even if he didn't want to. "Ms. David, you can sit there and slouch provocatively for an hour, if you'd like. Or you can tell me what you need and maybe I can help."

She pouted, then stood up and walked over to his desk. "You can't help because I'm here to stop Special Agent Gibbs from killing a Mossad Officer."

That was when everything clicked.

"Ari Haswari?"

"Yes," she said, moving her hair from her face just like Kate always did. And never will be able to do again. He felt the anger boil up inside him again and he beckoned her closer. When she leaned over his desk, he was almost overwhelmed by her scent, but he hold on to the anger. He had to. For Kate.

Finally, he whispered, "I'd wish you luck, but I want the bastard dead too." That is when he saw it. In her eyes: the pain. Somehow, he had touched a nerve.


	3. Chapter 3

**This is Ziva's point of view of their first meeting. I realise it might be excessive, but I really wanted to write it.**

As Ziva stood at the entrance of four cubicles in the NCIS squad room, she studied the handsome Italian man sitting at the desk to her right. He had light brown hair, beautiful green eyes and he was very tall. He was well built too. Attractive.

She couldn't help but wonder who he was talking to, as she listened to him saying that he used to picture someone naked. She would like to picture _him _naked.

When he noticed her, it was obvious that he was embarrassed as he quickly told whoever he was talking to that he would call them back and pressed a button on his desk phone. However, she could tell that he was having a fantasy rather than actually talking to someone when the phone made a beep before he slammed on it again.

"Hi…" He said. There was that word again. Why she thought about her tattoo this time she heard it, she didn't know. Usually she just ignored the two letters on her hip, but this time she noticed them. "I was just…"

_No_, she told herself. _It couldn't be him. You are on a mission, Officer David. Do not let his looks influence your thinking and let yourself get distracted._

"Having phone sex?"

He looked a bit taken aback, as if what she just said to him surprised him. She thought about her tattoo again. Could he have? No. That would be ridiculous. Who would have a tattoo with those words? She didn't even think such words were allowed. Besides, he is obviously Catholic. He father would surely kill her.

Shifting her concentration back to the conversation she heard him making up the excuse of playing charades. She decided to indulge him by playing along with the charade – they were playing charades after all! – and made the "movie" motion.

Then he asks her name.

"Ziva David, Mossad," she answers.

"_You're Israeli?"_ He sounded incredulous. She saw him looking at her Star of David necklace.

"Very good, the way you made that connection: Mossad, Israeli." She saw him watching her as she walked a little further to the other desk.

"What can I do for you Ms. David?" _Rather what I want to do to you. Starting with getting your shirt on the floor._ But she has to remain professional.

"Nothing, I'm here to see Special Agent Gibbs."

"How do you know I'm not Gibbs?" She laughs. She sees him looking at her while she does this. Even though he tries to hide it, it is obvious that he is attracted to her, so she decides to play along. She lets her backpack slowly slide down her body while she stands with her back to him. Then she sinks down into the chair at the desk next to his and smiles at him.

"Gibbs?" she asks with a raise of her eyebrows. She hopes he isn't.

"He'll be back in an hour. You sure I can't help you?" _Oh, you can help me. With so many things._

She tuts, mostly at herself for having such thoughts. "I don't think so." She smiles again.

He sighs as they look at each other, silence hanging between them for a second. She sees him debating about something and then he evidently comes to a conclusion as he stands up and walks over to her.

"We got off to a bad start," he says. "I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I wasn't playing charades, I was remembering my partner."

"Naked?" _Men_.

"No. Yes. I..." She tilts her head and looks at him through her lashes. "I was just. Look, I'm not the only man who does it."

"Oh, women do it too," she pauses and she looks at him. First his feet, then to where his hands are clasped in his belt buckle. And finally, up to his face where he looks into her eyes again. "With handsome men," she continues. She can see that he is trying very hard to act normal. He grunts and turns back to his desk. She decides to tease him just a little bit more. "And even an occasional woman."

"Now you're teasing me."

She chuckles. She's enjoying this. "Didn't your partner tease you?"

"Not about sex, Kate was kind of puritanical."

She realises that she might have crossed the line with that one, and instantly regrets it. "Sorry."

"It didn't matter," he answered. "I wasn't interested in her; we were..." He drifts off as she removes her headband and loosens her hair. She was loving the effect she had on him. "Partners," he finished lamely.

"She wasn't attractive?"

"She was; not to me."

"Then why did you imagine her naked?" She wanted to know, yet she didn't.

He smiled and waved his finger at her. She smiled at him again.

"Ms. David, you can sit there and slouch provocatively for an hour, if you'd like. Or you can tell me what you need and maybe I can help."

She pouted, because she suddenly had very vivid images in her head of him _helping_ her in so many different ways. She then stood up and walked over to his desk. "You can't help because I'm here to stop Special Agent Gibbs from killing a Mossad Officer."

"Ari Haswari?"

"Yes," she said, surprised. Her hair fell in her face and she saw him watching her as die moved it away. He beckoned her closer, and as she leaned over his desk, she was almost overwhelmed with the want to lean just a little bit further and kiss him. Time seemed to stand still for her.

Finally, he whispered, "I'd wish you luck, but I want the bastard dead too." And the moment was gone.

Pain coursed through her. Of course, she couldn't exactly blame him – he didn't know. But she was sure she saw him seeing it flash in her eyes.

No. He wouldn't have a tattoo with the words "Having phone sex?" somewhere on his body. The "Hi" he had said to her was just purely coincidental.

Just like all the other people she has ever met.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi, everyone! First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed. I appreciate it dearly. Secondly, sorry for the delay in updating over the weekend – I have medical issues with my hands that make it very difficult to type sometimes. I do not yet know exactly where this story is headed; only that it will include Tony and Ziva's undercover mission in S03E08 and that they will eventually end up together. Any suggestions are more than welcome. I hope you enjoy chapter 4. I will try my best to update again soon!**

To say Tony was conflicted, was a severe understatement.

He knew he had to remain professional towards Ziva, but doing that while knowing she was his soulmate? Easier said than done.

The only thing keeping him from jumping her every two seconds was the thought that she was protecting Kate's killer. And he wasn't sure that he could live with that. Especially after she already knew almost everything about him.

He found it so incredibly sexy the way so nonchalantly counted off facts about his life. He tried his very best to sound annoyed around her, _with_ her, and he was fairly certain he succeeded, even when Gibbs pulled him into the elevator and told him to trail her.

"_I want you on Ziva's ass."_

Oh, he could remember that moment so clearly. That moment where he involuntarily felt his pants tighten at the thought of being on her ass. Unbidden, an image of her appeared in his mind's eye.

Naked. In that very elevator. Pressed up between the wall and his own naked body.

_Damn it._ He had to get his head on straight.

He only hoped that the boss man didn't notice.

When Gibbs walked out of the elevator and into the lab, he pushed the button for the doors to shut, waited a few seconds, and then pulled the emergency switch.

What the hell was he thinking? Having a sexual fantasy of the woman who was stopping them from catching Kate's killer while he was in an elevator with _Gibbs_?

He had to stop. He _needed_ to stop.

But she was his soulmate.

He slumped down until he was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him. The same bloody wall he imagined them up against.

Oh, what did he do to deserve the universe pulling this cruel joke on him?

And worst of all, he was now sure that his last words to her had shattered any hope of a future they might have had together. He had seen the pain in her eyes. Clearly there was something more to her and Ari than she just being his control officer. Could he be?

_No. Oh dear God no!_

They couldn't be together, could they?

He felt pain rip through his body, mixed with anger and confusion.

They cannot be together.

How could his soulmate, that gorgeous angel, be with someone like Ari? Ari, who took people's lives away from them and _liked_ it.

No, no, no.

He suddenly jumped up and hit the wall of the elevator.

"NO!" he shouted, knowing that at whatever floor the elevator was stopped, someone was sure to hear him, yet not caring about that fact either.

"No!" he shouted again. "It cannot be!"

He punched the wall again for good measure. He had to get the anger out of himself somehow.

He has only known her for a day and he has already begun feeling something for her. It cannot be ruined by that bastard. He will hunt him down and kill him personally. He had wanted to do that anyway, for Kate, but now he wanted to do it for Ziva too.

In his daze, he hadn't noticed that he accidentally flipped the emergency switch and that the elevator had begun moving again.

Hearing a ding and then the doors opening behind him, he swung around, only to come face to face with the woman who has been plaguing his thoughts ever since he met her. Was that really only yesterday?

"Agent DiNozzo, is something the matter?" she asked with that sweet voice and incredibly attractive accent.

He stood stock still, not knowing what to say. He desperately wanted to kiss her, even more so than yesterday. He only wanted to drag her into the elevator he was still standing in and make that fantasy of his come true. Yet he felt himself rooted to the spot, unable to move except looking at every perfect line of her face.

"Officer David, I…" he trailed off, his voice barely above a whisper, not knowing how to answer without giving himself away.

He finally broke out of his trance and squeezed past her through the silver doors, shivering when their arms brushed against each other and stalking away into the squad room and to his desk, leaving a very confused Israeli behind him, admiring his backside as he walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**I toyed with the idea of making Ziva and Ari lovers, but decided that was just too complicated and would set back the Tiva. So I'm sticking with canon and leaving them siblings.**

**Disclaimer: Still no. *cries***

She wondered what was bothering him.

Yesterday when they met he had seemed so nice, in fact she was very attracted to him, until the conversation turned to Ari. She still has not completely gotten over the fact that everyone here seems to believe that Ari is a killer. Well, he is, because he was trained as a Mossad Assassin, but she did not believe that he would so brutally kill this Kate woman as they all seem to believe he did.

Especially Special Agent DiNozzo.

In fact, they have not spoken since they met. She was not sure how she felt about that. She felt an attraction to him – a strong one – but how could they ever make it work? She has already vowed to keep her distance from him since he had said that he wanted Ari dead-

No. Correction: he wanted _the bastard_ dead.

And that stung. Very much.

She knew her brother as a sweet, kind-hearted person. They have always gotten along fine. They had been there for each other when their father had not. He was there for her when her first crush broke her heart. She was there for him when they got the news that his mother had died. They were there for each other when they lost Tali.

Yet nobody here at NCIS seems to believe in his innocence.

And that bothered her. A lot more than it should have.

The one whose actions confused her most was Agent DiNozzo's.

He seems to be attracted to her, very much so, but he is determined to hide it. And she does not understand why. Just now when she saw him in the elevator it was evident by the way that he studied her face that he liked what he saw, but then he just stormed past her and into the squad room. She had felt the shiver running down his spine when their arms had brushed. She had felt one too. Then she had even caught herself watching his backside when he walked to his desk – and a handsome one he had too.

What puzzled her even more than his actions was her own.

She had vowed to keep her distance, yes, but she could not help seem to stop herself from feeling attracted to him when he is in the vicinity.

No: scratch that. He did not even have to be in the vicinity.

Last night she had had a dream about him. About them.

They were in the bull pen. Alone.

She was sitting in McGee's chair and he in his, just like when they met.

In fact, the dream was exactly the same as their first meeting, up to where he had come to stand before her, with his hands in his belt buckle and she had checked him out, her eyes lingering a second too long on where his hands were clasped.

That was then it changed.

She had stood up, looking his straight in the eyes and she had noticed the look of pure lust on his face, most likely mirroring her own.

Suddenly his hands were no longer on his own waist, but on hers pulling her closer as their lips crashed together and her arms flew around his neck. She moaned when she felt his tongue trace the outside of her bottom lip, seeking entrance which she granted as her hands thrust into his hair, pulling him closer.

His hands were wandering over her hips, her back and through her hair, cupping her face before returning downwards. Their kiss was electrifying, making all the hairs on her body stand up with its intensity.

And that was when it stopped. She had wanted to desperately for it to continue, but it had not.

Just thinking about it know was making her feel hot.

She suddenly remembered where she was and quickly walked to the ladies' room to try and calm herself down a bit.

What she did not know was that one Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was watching her the entire time where she was standing in front of the elevator. He could only see her in profile, but he knew that she was having some sort of fantasy.

His blood boiled when the saw her practically running to the ladies' room, thinking that the fantasy was probably about her and Ari.


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I really hope you are still enjoying this story. I am skipping some details about the case, as that is not the focus of this fanfic and because I want to get to the TIVA! I assume you all have seen the Kill Ari episodes, so just fill in the blanks. Concerning Ari's conversation with Gibbs before he died: he didn't say anything about being the son of Director David. Oh: Tony and Ziva did not have the conversation about Tali outside of the hotel – I'm saving that for later.**

**This may all seem a bit confusing, but I'll try my best to explain it.**

**Disclaimer: disclaimed.**

Looking in the mirror of the ladies' room after she splashed some cool water on her face, she reprimanded herself for getting lost in her thoughts like that.

She really needed to get a handle on herself. Because having a fantasy, or remembering a fantasy of them while standing in the middle of the squad room with him just a few feet away from her was definitely _not_ the way to focus on the case.

But the woman she saw in the mirror was not the Mossad assassin she was trained to be. And that worried her. Very much.

She saw a woman with a flushed face – satisfied yet frustrated.

And the water running down her cheeks and dripping from her chin made her weak.

_Weak for him_, she thought.

She had to go out there. She was pretty sure someone would be looking for her soon. Looking for Ari.

Straightening her spine, she dried her face and walked out of the room, determined to finish this mission and go back to Israel where there were less distractions.

Two days and many dreams and fantasies later, Ziva felt herself being pulled into the elevator by Gibbs.

Difficult as it may be, she has come to realise that there may in fact be more to Ari's story than she originally thought.

Gibbs' plan to lure Ari into the basement of his house was not especially something she _wanted_ to do, but knew she _had_ to.

She had not actually spoken to Agent DiNozzo in the past two days. It was as if he was avoiding her, only speaking to her if something pertained to the case and even then it was in clipped, mostly single syllable words. And she felt herself craving his voice. She wanted to get lost in his speaking rhythms, but he never gave her the chance.

So here she was. Hiding in Gibbs' house, waiting to see whether her brother was a traitor or not. She knew that nobody here knew that they were related, so of course they had no idea how difficult this was for her.

Not entirely sure how she ended up sneaking from her hiding spot to the entrance to the basement, she saw herself holding her weapon trained on her brother's forehead while he held his own weapon trained on Gibbs. She knew what she had to do. Her darling brother had turned on his family and his country and he needed to be stopped.

The only words running through her head when she pulled the trigger was _Why _me_? Why did _I_ have to stop him?_

Seeing his head snap back with the force of the bullet entering his skull, she lowered her weapon, standing up slowly. She had just killed her brother. And nobody knew. She did not tell Gibbs. And she was thankful that Ari had not said anything about them being related either.

After Gibbs left, she still stood over his body, looking down on the lifeless corpse of the one person who was always there for her. She did not understand how he could have done what he did, knowing that it would most certainly destroy their relationship.

Hearing thunder crash outside, she softly sang him a lullaby. She still loved him, even if he was a traitor and had joined Hamas.

The rain was her accompanist, thrumming against the windows of the basement where he fell.

Finally she stood up, knowing that she would not be able to hold her tears back much longer. The medical examiner and the rest of the team were probably on their way. She would give her statement later.

The steps up into the house felt a lot longer than they should have, as her legs were almost as heavy as her heart. She walked through the house in a daze, through the door and into the rain. At least now she could let the tears free.

Nobody will be able to see her cry in the rain.

She was soaking wet by the time she entered the little park about a block away from the house that would always be haunted to her now. The rain kept pelting down and the thunder cracked, drowning out the sound of her sobs as she sank down onto the bench next to the playground.


	7. Chapter 7

**I am SO sorry for ending the last chapter where I did. It was very difficult to write Ziva so incredibly heartbroken, but I assure you there is a reason for it!**

**Just to be clear: Ziva and Ari are siblings, but Tony believes they are dating.**

**There will be some Tiva in this chapter, to make up for the last few that went without it. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I own them. In my wildest dreams, maybe.**

Pulling up to the crime scene in his Mustang, he cursed Mother Nature for making it rain. That means he was going to be soaking wet by the time he's done processing everything. And being an agent down meant he was going to have to do extra work and it was going to take longer than normal to finish.

He was just glad that it was over. Kate's killer is dead – as he should be. He hoped Gibbs did a good number on him.

He got out of the car, grabbed his gear and hurried through the open front door of the house. He walked down the stairs to where the body supposedly was, but was stopped by Gibbs halfway down.

"DiNozzo, is Ducky here yet?"

"No, boss. I didn't see the van outside when I got in."

"Oh. Never mind. We aren't actually supposed to process this scene. Apparently we're 'too close to it'."

"Damn. Well done with getting him, boss."

"Yeah. Where's Officer David?"

Oh no. She shouldn't be here. As much as he was happy that Ari was lying dead on the concrete floor not ten feet from him, and as angry as he still was at them being together, he didn't want her to see her boyfriend this way. It was hard enough for him to see Kate with a bullet in her head and they weren't even together. He couldn't imagine how it must be to see your lover lying so motionless in a pool of blood.

"Haven't seen her boss. Why was she here?"

"Just find her, DiNozzo."

"On it boss!" He dropped his gear in the living room and stepped out onto the porch.

Why would she have been here? If she had been here, she must've seen him already. And if she left so hurriedly it can only mean one thing: that she was terribly upset. No… He cannot leave her in that condition. Worriedly, he started to wander down the street, not caring that he was being soaked to the bone. His only thought was to find her.

Through the dim streetlights, he saw what was probably a park about a block away. That is somewhere he would go if he was upset. He decided to look there first and if he didn't find her, he'd get more creative.

Walking through the trees, he spotted a large expanse of grass to his left and a playground to his right. There were no lights on in the park, so it was incredibly dark. He could only vaguely make out the swing set and a few benches. Not seeing her, he was just about to turn around when he heard a sound that was not coming from the rumbling clouds above him.

It sounded suspiciously like a sob, but he couldn't be sure.

Suddenly, the sky lit up with a flash and he saw the bundled mess of human curled up on the bench next to a fairly large tree. He jumped into a jog towards her, wanting nothing more than to just pull her into his arms and hold her for the rest of forever. But he knew better. She was Mossad after all. Not announcing himself before approaching her would most probably result in her accidentally killing him out of instinct.

He slowed down to a walk and made sure that he was in her line of sight before he gently called out to her.

"Officer David?"

Ziva jumped at the sudden sound of her name and looked up to see who had found her in this mess.

Oh. Tony.

When had she started to call him by his given name in her head? Probably after she woke up from a dream about him for the fourth or maybe fifth time. It didn't matter.

The only thing that she could think about was that he was standing there in front of her, soaking wet. And she was in this state. Not exactly how she ever wanted him to see her. He was not moving, yet it seemed as if he desperately wanted to reach out to her. And she wanted him to. She had already forgiven him for his attitude and rude comments towards Ari, for she now knew that they were warranted.

"Agent DiNozzo." Her voice was barely above a whisper – lost from all the crying. "Please, sit down," she said, moving over to make space for him on the small bench while keeping her knees pulled up to her chest.

She watched as he slowly, silently sat down. He seemed to be contemplating what to say.

In truth, he didn't know what to say. What do you say to your soulmate, who just saw her boyfriend laying dead on his boss's basement floor?

"I'm sorry," was the only thing he could come up with. He wasn't really sorry, not for Ari being dead, but he was sorry for the hurt it caused her. He didn't want her hurting. And if she was, he wanted to do everything in his power to make her feel better.

"Are you?" he heard her ask softly.

"Yes," he answered truthfully. "I am sorry for your loss. It is difficult losing someone so close to you. Someone you love."

She looked up at him incredulously. Did he know? How could he know? Nobody knew. Unless… No. He did not think they were _together_, did he? She almost laughed at the thought.

"Thank you."

They were quiet for a few minutes. Finally she spoke, her voice raspy from the crying and the rain.

"I lost my little sister Tali in a Hamas suicide bombing. She was sixteen and the best of us. Tali had compassion."

He didn't know what to say, so he murmured "I'm sorry" again.

"After Tali's death, I was like Gibbs. All I wanted was revenge."

"Is that why you joined Mossad?"

"I was Mossad long before Tali's death. Old..." she trailed off.

"Family tradition?" he supplied.

She shook her head. "Israeli sense of duty." She swallowed. Should she tell him? She wanted to. She did not know why exactly, but she did not want secrets between them. "Hamas took my sister." She paused. "And now it has taken my brother too."


	8. Chapter 8

**Heavy emotions in this one. I don't know if you will experience it like that, but for me they are real people. They live in my head. If they feel pain, I feel pain. I will get to the tattoos again in a while, but Tony and Ziva had a mind of their own. They need to go through this. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, the would be waaaaayyyyy more Tiva on the show.**

Ziva watched Tony's face out of the corner of her eye as he took in the information she had just volunteered. She held her breath for his reaction.

Tony's mind reeled. Poor Ziva. His darling Ziva has suffered so much. He couldn't imagine losing a sister so young and so tragically. And now she lost Ari too. Wait… Her brother? What was she talking about? Realisation suddenly dawned on him and he felt his heart breaking for her all over again. He now understood why his words about Ari had hurt her so much. She really did love him; he was her brother! He felt so stupid for assuming they were together, but on the other hand he was relieved.

She heard him gasp and look up at her when he had finished processing what she had just told him. She saw the pain in his eyes, but she also saw…hope? What was he hopeful for? His look was so intense that she felt herself shiver involuntarily.

Tony, thinking she was cold, moved closer and gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. He expected her to pull away, or even try to kill him for being so forward, but instead she just stiffened in his arms and a moment later relaxed.

When he reached out to her, Ziva's first thought was to run, but something inside her made her stay rooted to the spot. Feeling his arms around her felt so right, even though her mind was screaming at her to leave, or kill him. She stiffened on instinct, but felt herself relaxing as she was pulled into his broad chest; his wet shirt doing nothing to hide muscles underneath. Oh, how she wanted to stay like this forever. She did not understand the conflicting feelings warring inside of her, but she decided to follow what felt good and right and leaning against him was what felt good and right. Making a split-second decision, she threw her legs over his and rested her head on his shoulder. Her right hand fell over his heart and she gave a sigh of contentment. She knew it was wrong – Mossad trained you to never show emotion, but right now she did not give a damn about Mossad's rules. Right now the only thing she wanted was comfort – she had just killed her brother for crying out loud! – and she was getting comfort from Tony.

Tony was so surprised when she all but snuggled into him that he almost fell off the bench. Almost. Being so close to your soulmate for the first time does something to you. It makes your insides tingle and your heart summersault. He could smell her vanilla shampoo, even though the rain had drenched her hair, making it fall like a dark curtain across her back. Her hand that was pressed over his heart burned like fire and for the first time in his life, Tony experienced the feeling of just wanting to hold a woman. Never before had he been with a woman to just purely _be_ with her. And that scared him. But it also made him feel whole, having her in his arms. It was how it was supposed to be, even though she didn't know it yet.

"Oh, Ziva…" he let out with a sigh. Realising he had just called her by her given name for the first time – and without permission – he readied himself for some sort of pain to come his way from the ninja assassin sitting in his lap.

But it never came.

Ziva felt herself smiling when she heard her name falling from his perfect lips, and only pressed her face deeper into his shoulder, taking comfort from the warmth of his body.

When he felt her pressing herself closer ho him, he tightened his arms around her, wanting to make her stay right where she was for the rest of eternity.

"Thank you, Tony." Saying his name was so easy, it felt so natural. She did not linger on the thought that asked her why. She did not have the energy to debate with herself about that now.

Hearing his name drifting through the rain in her beautiful voice, made him want to kiss her right in that very moment, but he held back. He knew now was not the time. She had just lost her brother.

They sat in silence for another few minutes, the pitter-patter of the rain and the thunder overhead being the only sounds around them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Medical Examiner's van driving past the entrance of the park, presumably taking Ari's body to Autopsy. He knew Ziva saw it too, for he felt her stiffen in his arms, pressing her face deeper into his chest and suppressing a sob.

"Shh… It's okay. I've got you," he tried to soothe her, rubbing circles on her back with his right hand. He intended it to be comforting, but apparently it broke a dam inside her, for she started sobbing in earnest and he felt her tears falling on his already wet shirt.

She curled herself into him more, if that was even possible, and fisted his shirt into her hand. He almost jumped when almost pulled out half of his chest hair, but managed to hold back his yelp. He heard her muttering something in Hebrew, over and over again, but he couldn't figure out what it was she was saying. Her words seemed to cause her tremendous pain, as she cried harder and her voice raised with each sob that exited her trembling body. He couldn't bear for her to be so upset. He had to do something to try and calm her down.

"Ziva, it's okay. It's going to be okay. Shh, everything will be fine. I'm here," he tried to soothe her again, but he didn't seem to be getting through to her. Desperate, he lifted his left hand from where it had been wrapped around her slim waist and lifted her chin in order to look into her eyes, thinking it would help him get his message across.

What he saw in her eyes when she finally met his gaze, shocked him to the core.

Pain. Fear. More pain. Self-hatred.

He didn't understand. How could such a beautiful creature hate herself?

Inside Ziva's head, her thoughts were running crazy. He killed her brother. She felt safe in Tony's arms. He reprimanded herself. He is an American. She cannot have feelings for him. Ari is dead. At her hands. Tony's voice is so soothing. She saw his corpse laying on that concrete floor. Tony's arms felt so good around her. That pool of blood. She did not want to move. The van driving by with his body. Her head fit so well on his shoulder. The gunshot. Circles being traced on her back with his strong hands. Ari's head snapping back. The bullet hole above his eyes. The perfect kill shot. She killed her brother. She killed her brother. She killed her brother.

_She killed her brother._

Feeling him lift her chin, she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. Those gorgeous green eyes she just wanted to get lost in. She saw the shock on his face when he read her emotions like nobody ever has before. He was confused with what she was feeling. The pain and fear she knew he would understand. But not she self-hatred. She knew she had to tell him. He deserved to know and if he was not too disgusted with her afterwards, she would need him to help her through this.

"I killed my brother."


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I greatly appreciate the motivation.**

**Disclaimer: They're on my shopping list, but I don't have much hope.**

Tony was so lost in her eyes that he almost missed the words she uttered. She what? Killed her brother? But how? Gibbs… Gibbs killed Ari. He was sure of it. But he saw the brokenness is her eyes, the honesty, and he knew she was telling the truth.

It's true what people always say: when your soulmate is in pain, you feel the pain too. He never knew it would be so intense, but as the pain ripped through his own body, he felt it. It was almost tangible, the shock mixing with sorrow, and he just pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair, trying to conceal the tears he felt were coming, because he couldn't let her see them. Then she would know. She would know they were soulmates and now was not the time for that.

Ziva did not understand his reaction to her words, but she welcomed it nonetheless. She relished in the feeling of his arms around her and his breath coming in short warm bursts through her hair onto her neck. She was still crying uncontrollably, her body wracked with sobs, but he held her so tightly that they were less noticeable.

Luckily for Tony, Ziva's sobs covered his own, so she did not know he was crying for her. Not yet; he was planning on sweeping her off her feet when the time was right, for he knew that he would never be able to let her go now that he had her in his arms. He would follow her to Israel if that was what it took, but he had to be with her.

They sat there in silence for a long time again. The rain had slowed down to a drizzle and both of them were getting cold, but they did not want to move. Both were content with being in the other's arms and wanted to stay that way for as long as they could.

When Ziva finally started to calm down and her body was shaking from the cold rather than from the rain, Tony knew they had to get dry and warm before they both catch a terrible cold. He decided to push his luck just a little bit, because she seemed happy in his arms after all, even if she did not know why. Moving slowly, so as not to startle her, he put his left arm under her knees and pulled her up a little bit while whispering in her ear.

"Ziva…" He nudged her with his nose, smelling her wonderful scent again. "I'm going to pick you up. Don't be afraid. You're going to be okay. I'll take care of you. Okay?"

He only got a small sound in response. He decided to take it as an okay and proceeded to stand while still holding her in his arms. He was amazed with how light she was, but just moved her to a more comfortable position. He looked down at her, but was only met with a mess of hair, as she was pressing herself into his chest.

She did not know what made her trust him so explicitly, but again, it felt good and right, so she just went along with it. One side of her wanted to protest and say that she was perfectly capable of walking on her own, but her vulnerable side had decided to stay. She was finally able to take a bit of him in. She had noticed the muscles of his chest and her eyes slyly followed the curve of his shoulder and admired his arm. When he picked her up, she had to fight with herself to remain calm, but burying her face into him helped again, smelling his strong musky scent. She briefly wondered what kind of body wash he uses, but the thought was gone again in a second as she once again registered his strong arms around her. He was carrying her without any effort and she knew he must work out.

The gentle rocking of his steps almost caused her to fall asleep, but just as she was about to drift off, they turned at the entrance of the park and she saw the lights still flashing in front of the house. In an instant, all of the memories came rushing back and she stiffened in Tony's arms, wanting nothing more than to jump out if them and start running. Tony felt this and knew what she was thinking. His response was only to tighten his embrace and whisper nonsensical things to her. It seemed to work at least a little, as he no longer felt her wanting to escape.

He knew that if he wanted to take her home, he would have to let go of her through the entire drive in his Mustang. He didn't want to, nor did he think she would let go of the death grip she had on him. When they approached the house, he stayed in the shadows for the most part, not wanting to expose her to the bits of talk from the agents, nor wanting them to see her so broken.

He wanted to jump with joy when he saw a cab parked a few yards away from the crime scene tape. Probably McGee's. He most likely paid the driver to wait for him, as getting a cab at this time of night and especially in this weather, was next to impossible. Looking around, he spotted Gibbs standing on the porch with his ever-present coffee. Knowing that Gibbs was always aware of everything around him, Tony stood across the street for a few minutes, waiting for Gibbs to see him. He did not have to wait long, as Gibbs turned a few moments later and immediately started walking toward them.

Tony knew that Gibbs would understand what he needed without too many words, as he did not want to upset Ziva any more than she already was. When Gibbs finally reached them, Tony spoke softly, knowing the gentle tones of his voice would most probably be soothing to her.

"I'm taking her home in McGee's cab. Tell him sorry and that the keys to my Mustang is in my backpack. He's welcome to go home with it. I'll get it from him later."

"Okay," Gibbs answered just as softly as Tony. He bent over and kissed Ziva on the side of the head while stroking her hair. "Take all the time you need and take care of her."

"I will."

Gibbs then turned to walk back to the house while Tony went to the cab.

Through all this, Ziva just stayed in Tony's arms, willing herself to be okay, yet not succeeding completely. She knew she should have protested when Tony gave the cab driver an address that was not her hotel, but she was still reeling from Gibbs' kiss and the feeling of Tony all around her. She could not bring herself to care that he was taking her to a strange place – probably his apartment – because she felt safe with him. She trusted him.

As the car started moving, with them in the same position in the back seat as they had been on the bench just a short while ago, Ziva surrendered to the pull of sleep and she closed her eyes with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his heart.

Just as she slipped away, she could swear she felt him kiss her forehead.

His whisper of "I'll take care of you, sweetheart," was only heard by himself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Only a filler chapter. Sorry this is moving so slowly, but I want to really concentrate on what they are feeling.**

**Special thanks to trixie111 for your feedback and motivation.**

**Disclaimer: If only.**

On the ride over to his apartment, Tony pondered many things. He was often distracted by the beauty currently sleeping in his arms, but then again he _was_ pondering her and their future together. He knew that she would need him to get through this ordeal and he prayed to the gods that she would allow him to be there for her. He had seen her stubborn side, and he did not have the strength for it at the moment.

A few times during the ride, her fist had clenched his shirt again, and he knew she was most probably reliving those terrible moments in her subconscious mind again. His reaction was only to keep holding her and whispering comforting words to her. The cab driver most likely thought they were together, for the intimacy they shared in the back seat was intense, even though she was asleep. If she needed to be close to him that much while she was unaware of her surroundings, it frightened him to think how much she would need him when she woke and had to face stark reality. It frightened him, but he wanted to do it wholeheartedly. He would do anything for her.

When they finally arrived in front of his building, he paid the driver and was glad that it had stopped raining for the moment while he carried her inside. She only stirred when he sidled out of the back seat with her still held securely in his arms and he was glad she did not wake. He was faced with a dilemma when he confronted the locked door to his apartment. He had to unlock it, but in order to do so he risked dropping her. His keys were still in his NCIS bag back at Gibbs' house, but he kept one under the matt. He thanked whoever it is who was watching when his next door neighbour walked around the corner just as he was about to wake Ziva so that they could get inside. Mrs Jenkins took one look at the woman with tear tracks across her cheeks sleeping in his arms, bent down and without a single word took the key from the floor and unlocked the door for them. She put her hand briefly on his arm in saying good luck, while he nodded his head at her in thanks.

As soon as the door shut behind them though, Ziva awoke.

"Tony?" she asked confusedly and still in a state of sleep.

"Shh, it's okay. We're in my apartment. Let's get you dried off."

She nodded and let him carry her down the hall and into the bathroom. He sat her down on the vanity and turned to go to his bedroom. She seemed very reluctant to let him go and grabbed his arm to pull him back before he got too far away from her.

"Stay here – I'll be right back. I promise. I'm only going into the bedroom to get us some dry clothes, okay?" he said while tracing her cheek with his fingers.

She nodded mutely and let go of the grip on his arm to hug her arms around herself. She looked so fragile sitting there on his vanity that he almost did not want to leave her alone, but he knew he had to get them dry otherwise they will be sick in the morning.

He walked calmly out the door but sprinted to the bedroom as soon as he was out of her line of sight. He grabbed the first clothes he could find that were at least acceptable and sprinted back to the bathroom to find her in the same position as he left her in. She was shivering a bit from her still wet clothes clinging to her body.

"Would you like to take a nice hot shower? It'll help you feel better," he asked.

She nodded again, but made no move to get up.

Suppressing a sigh, he turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. When he was satisfied with the temperature, he returned to where she still sat trembling.

"Come on," he said, holding out his hand for her to take.

She eyed him suspiciously, but reached out to him nonetheless. He walked her into the shower and under the spray, clothes and all. She hissed when the hot water hit her frozen body, but a moment later relaxed and let it soothe her. Tony only stood in shock at the sight. He had a goddess in his shower – his soulmate no less. She wasn't even naked and he thought that it was the most erotic thing he had ever seen when she lifted her arms to gather her hair at the back of her head.

He must have gasped, because in that moment she looked at him and he could see the self-consciousness and trepidation in her eyes when she silently and almost nervously held her hand out to him. He immediately stepped forward and joined her under the spray, he too letting it relax him. He held her again and marvelled at the feeling of her being so close.

They could have stood there in each other's arms for hours, but soon the hot water began to run out and he turned it off. He stepped back and pulled a towel off the rack just outside the shower. He looked into her eyes while he wrapped it around her, smiling at how tiny she looked buried in the fluffy white material. It contrasted her skin so beautifully.

"I'm going to get dressed," he said while pulling a towel around himself. "I'll be just down the hall if you need me. I'll be back in five minutes."

"Thank you, Tony." It was the first time she had spoken since they entered his apartment and he didn't know how much he had missed her voice until he heard it again.

He couldn't help himself and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.

"Any time," he replied before strolling back to his bedroom feeling very giddy.

If he didn't know better, he would've thought he saw her blush.


	11. Chapter 11

**This is my longest chapter yet. Things will be moving forward from here. It will get happier!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them, Tiva would not just be a fantasy.**

After Tony had left the bathroom, Ziva let herself take in her surroundings. She had just stood in the shower with an attractive man for the better part of an hour and he did not try anything with her. It left her confused, thankful and slightly breathless. The fact that most men would have at least tried _something_ was the cause for confusion. That Tony had not tried _anything_ even though she was in his arms, in his shower, made her very thankful because she did not think that she would have been able to respond.

But most of all: she was left breathless by his glorious body that seemed to surround her everywhere. She felt safe and if she had to admit it, slightly aroused. He was a very handsome man after all.

Shaking her head of these thoughts, she finally started to dry herself, taking off her wet clothes, wringing them from most of the water and proceeded to hang them over the shower walls to dry. Faced with the dilemma of not having anything to wear, she vaguely remembered Tony saying something about fetching clothes. Looking around, she spotted a t-shirt twice her size folded on the vanity. She picked it up and was almost overcome with the distinct smell of _him_ coming from the cotton.

She slipped it over her head and was very grateful that it fell to almost below her knees, as her underwear was still soaked. It was not ideal, but it was the best she was going to be dressed at the moment, so she tried not to dwell on it too much. She could not face going back to her empty hotel room alone. She hated to admit it, but she needed Tony tonight. Again she asked herself why that was, but decided to answer that question another time.

Finally she had the courage to exit the bathroom and walk down the hall to his bedroom while still rubbing her hair dry with the towel. Entering the room, she took in the large, comfortable-looking bed in the middle of the room. She wanted nothing more than to fall upon it in a blissful sleep, but she spotted Tony standing frozen in front of his closet, looking at her.

He was wrong. He thought seeing her in his shower was beautiful, but her standing there in his shirt while drying her hair… She was exquisite. He had to will himself not to let that sight go straight to his pants, or boxers, rather. He _was_ dressed for bed, and the thin cotton would not help him conceal a tent very well. Normally he would wear only his boxers and forgo a shirt, but he couldn't risk her seeing his tattoo yet, so he had to get one from his closet. Yet he was standing with it in his hands, still bare-chested. Luckily for him, his right side was turned away from her, so she would not be able to spot the black ink as he broke their stare and quickly slipped it over his head.

Meanwhile, Ziva had been enjoying the view. Very much so. From earlier, she knew how his chest felt under her hands, but seeing it too was enough to made her a little weak. She felt her earlier arousal return and was sure her appearance was having an affect on him too, though he hid it very well. She was rather impressed, but disappointment came soon as she saw him hurriedly pull his t-shirt on.

Neither of them exactly knew what to say to the other. They had only been acquainted for two days, but here they were. Dressed for bed. In his apartment. Both knew that nothing would happen that night – it simply was not the time for it – though both wanted it to.

Ziva was still close to tears every few seconds and she hated herself for it. Having this thought run through her mind, made the tears well up again. She willed them away, but only succeeded in making a few roll down her cheeks instead. The moment Tony saw her crumble, he was at her side, disposing of the towel in the chair next to the door and taking her in his arms. She started sobbing against his chest again.

Tony, sad himself that she had to be in so much pain, tried his best to soothe her, but couldn't get the amazing feel of them pressed so close together out of his mind. It was supposed to be like this. Them. Together. The tattoos had foretold it. He had not seen hers yet, but he was pretty sure it said "Hi". He figured that was why she most probably did not realise he was her soulmate, as she certainly heard it from everyone she met.

He only held her while her tears wet his shirt again, feeling their warmth through the thin fabric covering his chest. Silently, he pulled her to the bed and made her sit down. They stayed like this for a while again. Neither could remember how many times this had happened in the past few hours, but both new it had happened a lot.

Much later, they were laying side-by-side on the bed, only staring into each other's eyes, neither wanting to break the silence, yet both knowing it had to happen.

Tony was the first one to brave sound in the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked her softly while running his hand up and down her arm.

"Not particularly."

"Sorry," he instantly apologised.

"It is okay. I know you meant well. I am just struggling to process it all. So many things have happened. Ari was my brother. When I was a little girl, he was the one who always walked me to school, as I was afraid of walking alone. He was six years older than I am, yet we always had a rather good relationship, despite the age difference." She let out a small smile at the fond memories and Tony was overjoyed to see it. But it only lasted a second until the bad memories took over again and turned her face into a frown. Tears filled her eyes once more and she pulled herself up unto Tony's chest for what felt like the hundredth time that evening. "How could he betray me like this? I spoke to him just hours before and he sounded so caring. He sounded like the Ari I knew. The Ari who protected Tali and I from everything. Now Tali is gone and Ari is gone and I am alone! I am responsible for him not being here! Tony, I killed my brother. I do not deserve to still be drawing breath! I deserve to be alone! I am a monster! I deserve to be punished!" she ended her rant quite breathless and became aware of him stroking her hair and light kisses being pressed against her forehead. Despite just saying she did not deserve to be comforted, she accepted the gestures and it did in fact make her feel calmer.

"Shh, Ziva. You are not alone. I am here for you. You will never be alone. And you are not a monster deserving of punishment. You are a wonderful and beautiful person. You had no control over what Ari did!" He lifted her head to look into her eyes to get his point across. "You. Are. Not. Responsible. Do you hear me? I will not allow you to blame yourself for something he did. Yes, he did kill Kate and I despise him for it, but it is not your fault. And you are not to feel guilty for taking his life. You saved Gibbs. You saved so many people from dying. If Ari lived, many others would not have. He turned into a bad man, Ziva, but he was still you brother. I get that. I understand that. You may mourn him, but you may not beat yourself up over it. Do you understand?"

Tony feared he might have crossed the line and realised his grip on her face was very strong. He slowly loosened it, still holding her stare. He was afraid she might leave and never come back, but what he saw in her eyes was understanding. He felt himself relax, but he still waited anxiously for her reply.

"Yes. Thank you, Tony. I know I have said it many times, but thank you. I still feel guilty for taking a life, as I always do, but I understand that it was necessary. I did not want to do it, please believe me, I did _not_ want to do it. But I had to. Thank you for being here for me while I get through this. I do not know why you are doing this – we have not known each other for long at all – but I am grateful nonetheless."

He nodded, satisfied with her reply, but felt sleep calling to him. She saw him become sleepy and knew they both needed rest.

"Sleep now, Tony," she whispered. "I am not planning on going anywhere."

"Okay. Thank you." He knew she would not understand why he was thanking her, but she only smiled, not wanting an explanation just yet. He knew she felt something between them and he was very happy with that fact.

They slipped into unconsciousness then, both happy with being in the other's arms.


	12. Chapter 12

**So, I'm trying to do the M rating just a little justice in this chapter. Hope I succeed.**

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah.**

When Ziva woke up the next morning, she felt rested, safe and utterly aroused. Her dreams of the night were pleasurable, to say the least, and all of them involved a certain stunningly handsome male agent having her entirely at his mercy.

As she felt his warm chest pressing against her back, she had to press her thighs together to try and create some friction. His hand was hot on her naked hip where he unknowingly touched her tattoo. Her shirt had been lifted through the night, whether by his hand or her own, she did not know and neither did she care. All she cared about was the delicious heat of it and how she wanted it to move forward very badly.

She sensed that Tony was still very much asleep and decided to indulge herself in her fantasy. She closed her eyes and was transported away to her dreams of the night before.

_It started when she came into the bedroom after their shower and Tony was standing bare-chested in front of his closet. When he saw her standing there in nothing but his t-shirt, she spied his boxers tighten just the slightest bit and he made no move to hide it from her. Seeing this made her nipples tighten in return. She was certain he could see it through the thin shirt and her suspicions were confirmed when she looked back into his eyes and saw nothing but desire._

"_Ziva," he spoke her name, almost in reverence._

_Slowly, seductively, she let the towel drop to the chair next to the door and smiled provocatively at him. She knew what she wanted. And she was going to get it. From the look on his face, she was fairly certain he was not going to protest._

_She sauntered sexily over to him, while he stood rooted to the spot, not able to move from the sight of her wanting him._

_Not saying a word, she put her hands on his chest, finally being able to feel his muscles without the obstruction of clothing. Ever so gently she ran her hands up over his collarbone and then down again over his abdomen, grazing the waist of his boxers as she did so. She felt her way up again, taking in every muscle and every movement it made when coming into contact with her hands. When she went to sweep her hands down again, she decided to change her game and bent her fingers so that her nails were very lightly scraping against his skin._

_He hissed when a nail caught his nipple and she smiled; satisfied that she had found a weak spot in him. At the same time, he had reached out for her arms and pulled her against him. She gasped at the sudden contact as she felt his hardness pressing into her stomach, sending a wave of heat to her core._

_One of his hands went down to her hip, burning hot through the thin cotton covering it, while the other went to gently cup her face and lift it up to his. He paused slightly, presumably giving her a chance to change her mind if she so wished, but when she did not protest after a second or two, he pulled her up further and she went to him ever so gladly._

_When their lips touched, both of them felt the heat, the want for each other explode between them and they pressed together even more, hands clutching and roaming at the same time. His fingers fisted in her hair, holding her face to his as her hands wandered his back, and to her linking found it just as muscled as his front. Finally, he traced his tongue over her lower lip, begging for entrance which she gladly granted. A moan came from both of them as their tongues touched and started to duel each other for dominance. _

_Of course the need for air became too much and Tony broke away from the kiss. Ziva moaned in frustration, only to turn it into a moan of satisfaction when she felt his lips descend to her neck and she tilted her head back to grant him better access._

_Her back arched against him when his tongue joined the mix and she felt him sucking on the place where her neck joined her shoulder. He groaned when he felt her rub harder against him and the hand that was on her hip finally slid down to her thigh to find hot, bare skin to touch. He slowly slid it back up to her hip, taking the shirt with him. He kissed downwards on her neck, loving every moment of it, and when he met his destination, he heard a deep, low moan fall from her mouth as he took an erect nipple into his mouth over the shirt. Her hand tangled in his hair as she held him there, desperate for more, and he was only too happy to oblige. He kept licking and sucking while his other hand crept up under the shirt, over smooth skin to cup her other breast. He pulled another gasp from her when she felt his fingers pressing just hard enough around her. His mouth left her nipple and she was about to protest, but her words died in a groan when he blew hot air over the wet spot, making her nipple stand even more erect if that was possible. He quickly turned to give the it's twin the same treatment while his other hand also went under the shirt to stimulate the one his mouth had left._

_He kept this up for a few moments more, eliciting more moans and gasps from the woman in front of him. Each sound she made went straight to his groin and she sure noticed as she started pressing against him._

_Getting impatient, she eventually pulled his face back up to her and met him in a searing kiss. During this, his hands went down to her ass and her pulled her up into his arms. Her legs went around his waist and they moaned into each other's mouths when her wet centre came into contact with his hard manhood. He quickly walked them to the bed and softly put her down on it, going with her when her legs refused to dethatch from around him._

Just as his weight was about to deliciously press down on her, Ziva felt the real Tony stir in his sleep and grip her hip tighter. She snapped out of her fantasy and saw his eyelids flicking. She knew he was going to wake up in a few minutes and she had to get out. She was soaking wet and there was no way he was not going to notice. She briefly thought of letting him take care of her, because she knew he probably would, but she did not want to ruin whatever it was they had after the previous night.

No, she had to get up. Shower. Yes, a shower would be good. She carefully extracted herself from under his hand and got out of bed. She turned around to gauge if he was woken by the movement, but his breathing seemed even enough. Quietly she tiptoed to the bathroom and left the door open just a crack so that he would know where she was if he woke while she was still inside. After taking her now dry clothes from the shower door, she turned on the water and stepped in when it was hot enough.

She could not help but feel that the space was a little empty without him in it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi everyone. I just feel like I should point out: Tony and Ziva might not be acting very in-character, but remember that the soulmate-bond makes them feel very safe around one another. So even though Ziva does not yet know, she is attracted to Tony and she trusts him. I know that the Ziva of season three would never trust him so easily, but for the sake of the story… It IS **_**fanfiction**_** after all…**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, right.**

When Tony woke up, he panicked when he saw that he was alone in the bed. She was right there. She had been the entire night. He had woken up a few times and then watched her as he fell asleep again. She looked so peaceful when she slept. All of her worries were washed away from her face and only the sweetness remained. And if felt so _right_ having her next to him in his bed. He could literally not wait for the day when he had her for real. The day he did not have to feel guilty about running his hand over her thigh and onto her hip, taking his shirt with it. She looked to sexy in it. He wanted her in his clothes the whole time. Or better yet: out of them. He had gasped when he had seen her tattoo – those two perfect letters binding them together for all eternity. He mentally cursed himself for not coming up with something more creative for her to have written on her body, but later decided that what he did say was in fact perfect. It allowed him to pursue her without scaring her off.

And now she was gone and his bed was empty. He panicked even more when he realised that he had no way of contacting her. If she were gone, he couldn't find her. Absentmindedly he smelled the pillow she had slept on and could still detect that scent that was just _her_.

He jumped out of bed with every intention of hunting her down – she couldn't have gotten very far. He quickly pulled a pair of jeans on over his boxers and cursed again when he made to get his keys and didn't find them. McGee had his car. Damn it! He sprinted out the bedroom door and stopped short when he passed the bathroom. The door was closed. He never closed it. He was still staring at it when it suddenly opened and she stood before him. She hadn't left.

He was so shocked and relieved that he stood stock still for he didn't know how long. He was only roused from his tranquil state by her voice.

"Tony?"

"Oh, Ziva!" he almost yelled and leapt at her. His strong arms encircled her body as he held on to her for dear life. He vaguely felt her arms tentatively wrap around his back as he ranted on without taking a breath. "When I woke up and found the bed empty I thought you had left and I was going to go out and find you and I - "

"Tony!" she interrupted him. "I'm here. I told you I was not going anywhere." She pulled back a little so that she could look at his face. He didn't let her go far though as their faces were only inches apart and she could feel his warm breath on her cheeks. "And you were really going out to find me?" He only nodded mutely. "Tony, it is pouring outside. Have you not noticed?"

"It's raining _again_? Man, I hate this weather. Doesn't allow you to do _anything_." As if to demonstrate his point, a giant clash of thunder and lightning sounded and lit up the room, making Ziva jump. Tony only pulled her back into his chest and kissed the top of her head. He knew not to comment on it. Instead, he tried to change the subject in an attempt to take her mind off of it. "Hey, what do you say we make some breakfast? Pancakes sound good?"

He smiled when she nodded against his chest. "Delicious," came her answer, although a little muffled by his shirt. He noticed she had put on her now dry, albeit a but wrinkled, clothes of the previous day.

"Good! Come on," he said as he pulled her out of the bathroom and down the hall. He didn't have the will to let go of her completely and grasped her hand in his as they made their way to the kitchen. He feared for a moment that he might have overstepped the line, but smiled to himself when she made no move to pull away. "You know most Americans buy the batter in those premixed packets, but I prefer to make my own," he excitedly explained. "Sure, it takes a little longer and is a lot more effort, but it tastes _so_ good! You just wait – I'm going to make you the best-tasting pancake of your life!"

She smiled broadly at his excitement and he thought he had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"I am sure it will be, Tony."

"So when I have time, I make a few batches and then put them in the freezer – it isn't as good when it's defrosted than when it's fresh, but it's still better than that Wal-Mart stuff. I'm all out at the moment, so we'll have to start from scratch. You up for it?" he asked breathlessly when they reached the kitchen counter. "I mean you don't _have_ to help – I can do it on my own, but I just thought - "

For the second time in so many minutes, he was silenced by her – this time by her finger pressing lightly to his lips. He was struck with how soft the pad of her finger was, and he wanted nothing more than to kiss it, but held back.

"_Tony_," she emphasised, "I would very much like to help you."

He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face.

"Okay, so I'll get you an apron and I'll get the mixer and the flour and the baking powder and the salt and…"

She listened to him list every single thing they would need and could only smile. He was so fun-loving and she liked it. He was the exact opposite of her seriousness. They complimented each other. She felt an apron being pulled over her head and a moment later she was tuned around by her shoulders so that he would tie it behind her back while he still chatted on about the pancakes. She knew she was fully capable of doing it herself, but she enjoyed being taken care of for the first time in her life. She was always so independent, but she liked him doing things for her.

Standing in his kitchen in an apron felt very domestic and it terrified her. But as always, she tackled the fear head on. They were starting to build a good thing here and she was not going to ruin it by running away.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi everyone. First of all: sorry for the long wait – we had a blackout, so I couldn't write for days… **

**Secondly: Since you all seemed to like the "domestic" Tiva, I have given it a lot of thought and I have finally decided to do the whole clichéd-done-to-death-bad-weather-stuck-in-the-apartment thing. The reason for this is that I REALLY don't want to write about four miserable months with Ziva in Israel and Tony pining for her back in DC. I am doing this to give Ziva better reason to want to return to America, because I don't want it to just be because of NCIS. At the moment she might be starting to feel something for Tony, but I don't think that it is enough yet to cause her to return. Thus I am going to be clichéd. Which I despise. Anyway. Looooooooong Author's Note complete. On with the story.**

**Disclaimer: You know the drill.**

Making breakfast with Tony turned out to be much more fun than Ziva anticipated. For starters, the apron he had pulled over her head was obviously his and seemed to be the only one he owned. This of course meant that the man himself was covered in flour from head to toe after two minutes while she stayed squeaky clean, but that was not the best part. It was pink. _Pink_.

Tony DiNozzo owned a pink apron.

After she had given herself the pep talk, she had eventually looked down to see what he had dressed her in. She had expected one of those classic American aprons that wittily stated "Kiss the cook", or at least something in that line, but her eyes had almost bugged out of her head when she took in that colour. And those frills! Tony, who had been watching her closely to gauge her reaction, had laughed and explained that it had once belonged to his grandmother. She had taught him to bake when he was a little boy and had left him the apron as a reminder of the good times they had spent in the kitchen together. Since then he has refused to wear anything else while baking. Ziva had stood listening with rapt attention and felt honoured that she had been allowed to wear it.

Smiling, they went back to making breakfast as Tony regaled her with more stories from the past. Some made her laugh, like the time he had mistaken salt for sugar and the cookies had come out tasting quite...different. Others had her frowning at him as she did not understand the American significance of the tale.

After an hour and enough pancake mix to last him a few weeks, Tony relegated Ziva to the sidelines so that she could watch his "amazing kitchen skills". Perched on a barstool, she had admired his technique and smiled each time he perfectly flipped a pancake. To tell the truth, she was rather impressed. Her eyes travelled his chest, his arms and his face and again she found him incredibly handsome. Even when wearing a pink, frilly apron.

Tony had kept on chatting away while he baked, trying to calm himself with the thought that she was still here to listen to him, but mostly trying to keep her mind from reliving the previous day. He knew it had to happen sometime, but he wanted to prolong their happy bubble a little longer. He was overjoyed every time she smiled at him and he saw her checking him out, with resulted in him starting to show off a little. He got a full-on laugh from her when he didn't pay enough attention to what he was doing and the pancake landed on the counter next to him when he tried to flip it high in the air and catch it with the pan again.

"Tony," she managed to breathe through her laughter. "You should start paying attention!" She continued laughing and he just stood there, taking in the sight.

"How can I when a beautiful woman is sitting right in front of me?"

Her carefree laughter stopped abruptly and instead turned into a nervous chuckle.

"If you say so, Tony."

"I'm serious. You are beautiful." He feared he had crossed the line and waited for her reaction with baited breath.

She gazed into his eyes, and something she saw there must have convinced her that he was being genuine in his compliment, as she lightly blushed while murmuring a thank you under her breath and twirled a lock of hair around her finger.

Feeling better, he threw the ruined pancake in the trash and finished up.

As they sat down to eat after he had traded his flour stained shirt for a clean one, Tony turned on the television for some background noise. The channel was turned to the news and he just left it there, not bothering to change it. They were just finished eating when the next report came up: the shooting of a terrorist the previous day. As Ziva froze with the plates in her hands, Tony cursed himself for not thinking ahead far enough to know that the incident would be on the news.

"Ziva?" he quietly asked. When he got no response, he took the plates from her quivering hands in fear of them shattering on the floor when she lost her grip on them. He put them on the table and in the same movement tentatively pulled her against him. He could kick himself for letting this happen. All morning he had been so successful at avoiding the topic, only to mess it up with turning on the TV and not using his head.

He felt her tremble in his arms and knew she was crying. She was doing a remarkably good job of trying to stay calm and he had to commend her for it. They stayed like that until the news turned into the weather forecast and Tony watched over her shoulder as they predicted heavy blizzards blowing into the city and urged people to stock up on supplies and stay indoors.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Ziva lifted her head from where it had found purchase on his shoulder and looked at him with red eyes. Inside she was freaking out about her ability to be so open with him, but for the moment she accepted it as being a freak thing.

"Tony?" she asked with a raspy voice. "You have been so incredibly good to me, but can I ask you one more favour?"

"Anything," he replied and she could see the honesty in his eyes.

"Can I…" her voice faltered, but he stayed quiet, giving her time. "Can I stay with you through the blizzard? Please? It is just that I do not really like thunderstorms and with everything that has happened I do not think that I can be alone right know. I do not know anyone else in this city and with the weather I will not be able to fly out soon. I am sorry if I sound needy and I do not expect you to do this, but - "

She was silenced by his finger lightly pressing against her lips. He had not stopped her earlier because he knew she needed to let some of it out, but he didn't want her to keep on going the rest of the day.

"Ziva, I said _anything_ and I meant it. It would give me great pleasure to have you here for company. Really."

A ghost of a smile spread across her lips under his finger. He regretted doing so, but he removed his finger then so that she could speak.

"Thank you. I do not know how I will ever repay you."

"Your smile is enough." He thought he had overrun his mouth, but as she smiled again, bigger this time, he knew he was alright. "But, we should probably go on a quick road trip to get you some clothes and us some more food. I mean we have enough pancake batter to last us some time, but I don't think it'll do our health much good," he laughed. "Besides, I need to pick up my car from McGee's." Her face turned into panic for a second when she thought of having to face his co-worker, but he assured her with a smile that it would be alright.

"Okay," she replied. "Let us get going then before the storm hits."

"Good idea. We'll do the dishes when we get back."

Again he couldn't let her go completely when they separated and he laced their fingers together as he grabbed his phone and pulled her to the door. She didn't seem to mind.


	15. Chapter 15

**Appearance from McGee in this one!**

**Disclaimer: I sadly do not own NCIS or the characters.**

It was still raining when they got outside and finding a cab in that weather was usually next to impossible, but luckily for them someone from Tony's building had just pulled up in one. Thanking the neighbour profusely for his excellent timing, they quickly got in. They sat closer to each other than they probably should have, but neither commented on it. Their fingers were still intertwined and resting in Tony's lap.

Nothing was said during the drive to McGee's house and Tony could sense Ziva's nervousness. He only traced circles on the back of her hand with his thumb in an effort to reassure her. Because of the rain and everyone being in a hurry to get back indoors, traffic was moving excruciatingly slow and it was going to take them almost twice as long to get to their destination as it would have in normal circumstances. About halfway through the ride, Tony felt Ziva's head drop hesitantly onto his shoulder. He squeezed her hand to assure her that it was okay and immediately felt her relax against him. He felt so protective of her and was once again amazed at the strength of the soulmate bond. That a few blobs of ink on their skins could make them feel such a connection made his head spin, but he was grateful. They might not have met under ideal circumstances, but they met all the same. He wasn't going to complain.

By the time they got to McGee's house about an hour later, the rain had let up and it had started snowing. Tony knew they had to hurry their errands and get back inside to the safety of his apartment. The cab parked on the curb outside the building and Tony could spot his Mustang parked a few spaces over. He paid the diver and pulled Ziva out by her hand. As the cab pulled away, he almost ran toward his own car, forgetting that Ziva was still attached to him and almost yanked her to the ground with his sudden movement.

"My baby!" he said as he tapped the roof. "Did the probie treat you right? I'll get him back if he did! He better not have abused you!" He stopped talking to his car when he heard a laugh from next to him. Turning around, he spotted Ziva holding her hand to her mouth in a effort to stop the giggles from escaping her lips.

"You talk to your car, Tony?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes!" he exclaimed. "What is wrong with that?"

"It is an inanimate object, Tony. It cannot talk back."

"Of course it can! We understand each other," he insisted as he lovingly stroked the hood.

"This is absurd. Is talking to your car an American thing?"

"No, that's just Tony," came the answer from a few feet away. "Hi Tony, Officer David." They both turned to see McGee walking towards them with the keys in his hand. "I must say, even though I was angry that my cab had been taken, that car is a sweet ride."

"Thank you, Probie. Remember that, because you're never going to drive it again. And if I find one single scratch…"

"I know: I'm dead."

"Good. Now, can I have my keys back?" He almost cringed when McGee tossed them to him, not only because the keys were as much royalty as the car and they deserved to be treated that way, but because his dominant hand was currently clutching Ziva's. He had texted McGee on the ride over that Ziva would be with him, and he was sure Gibbs had filled him in the night before, but he didn't want to draw attention to their handholding and have McGee start making assumptions. He tried his best to catch with his left hand, seeing them flying straight into his face, but Ziva with her ninja ways had been quicker than him. He gasped as she caught them inches before they smashed into his nose.

"How do you _do_ that?" he asked with wide eyes, looking over at her.

"Mossad," came the simple answer.

"Nice catch," McGee commented.

"Thank you, Agent McGee. Be should get going, Tony. The snow is starting to fall quicker."

Tony watched McGee out of the corner of his eye as she said this, hoping that he won't catch the first name basis he had established with Ziva. He relaxed a bit when the junior agent didn't react in any way. He knew he must have heard it and as an investigator, he had probably spotted their clasped hands before they had spotted him. Tony made a mental note to thank him later for not saying anything about it.

"Yes," he answered Ziva. "Thanks for looking after it, McGee. Stay safe with the weather."

"You too. Bye," he greeted them and then turned to go back into the warmth of his building.

Looking back at Ziva, he again thought she was utterly beautiful with snowflakes lightly dusting her hair and sticking to her eyelashes.

"Come on. You better direct me to your hotel."

She nodded as he unlocked the car and opened the door for her. He reluctantly let go of her hand when she was seated and closed the door securely behind her. He got in himself and they drove off. He was very tempted to reach over and take her hand again, but he didn't know how to do it without it being awkward. They rode in silence for a few minutes until he reached over to turn the radio on softly. This time he made sure to tune it to a music channel that didn't report the news. She only spoke to give him directions and soon they were parked a ways down the street from the hotel's entrance.

"Will you come with me?" she whispered while not looking at him – probably afraid he will say no.

"Of course," he answered. He had to smile at the look of relief on her face.

"Let us get going then," she said as she made to get out of the car.

"No, wait! You sit. Just a second!"

She watched in disbelief and confusion as he quickly got out of the car himself and all but ran around the front for the car to her side. A smile graced her face as she realised what he was doing.

He opened the passenger door as if she was some form of royalty.

"Milady," he stated with a bow. She kept smiling at him while she stepped out onto the cold sidewalk.

"Thank you, sir."

The door was closed and locked.

"May I?" he asked her as he held out his arm for her to take.

"Certainly," was her only answer besides her smile as she hooked her arm through his proffered one. They both enjoyed the closeness of their bodies pressing against each other while they walked the distance to the hotel's door. They didn't separate as they entered the lobby and got on the elevator. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and they rode up with the elevator music being the only sounds. When the doors opened, she directed him down the corridor to the left. They encountered a problem when they stopped in front of her room's door.

"I do not have my key," she stated. "It is in my bag at the NCIS office. I left it there when…" she trailed off, not wanting to relive it at the moment.

"Hey, it's okay," he reassured her while taking her face into his hands, folding his fingers around her cheeks to look into her eyes. "We'll go down to the desk and ask them for another one. Problem solved, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Tony."

"Anytime." He punctuated his statement by pulling her face closer and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He pulled back to see her eyes hiding a few tears and a slight smile on her face. "Come on, let's go," he said as he pulled her back to the elevator.

A few minutes and an argument with the manager later, they were finally turning the spare key in the lock and entering her room. Tony wasn't surprised that the bed hadn't been slept in as they have been working non-stop since she got here. It only took her a minute to grab her bag and then they were locking the door behind them again and returning the key to the angry manager. He was carrying her bag for her and had a hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the building and into the icy air of the city again. He put the bag into the trunk and they were off to the grocery store. This time he had the courage to lean over and take her hand in his. He braced himself for either bodily harm, or worse: her pulling away. He felt relief flood through him when she turned a smile his way and linked her fingers with his. He wanted to jump with joy. She had done it this time. She had taken the initiative. He knew they were going to be okay. He just had to see it through and not allow her to run away.

As they drove to the store, she was looking out the window at the city passing by. But the thing that he liked best of all was that she was absentmindedly tracing her thumb up and down the back of his hand.

And that gave him hope.


	16. Chapter 16

**Tiva going shopping. Soooooo much fun to write! **

**(**_**Mauritian Vanilla Tea **_**actually exists – my boss brought me some after their family went there and it is absolutely delicious.)**

**Disclaimer: "I own it!" *Gibbs headslap* "Sorry, boss!"**

Finding a parking spot not too far from the grocery store close to Tony's apartment, he opened her door for her again and their hands joined each other without the slightest bit of hesitation. Neither of them had the conscious thought to reach out to the other – it just happened. They walked together through the sliding doors and were immediately grateful for the warmth the store brought them.

Tony led her to the baskets and put two of them into the steel trolley.

"Get anything you like. You're going to be at my place for a while if the weather reports are anything to judge by and I want you to be comfortable," he explained.

"Okay," was her only reply. He knew she would probably ignore his offer anyway, feeling he is already doing much more for her than he should and not wanting to impose any more. He decided that he was just going to have to use his investigative skills to see if her gaze lingered longer than normal on something and take that as the fact that she was interested in it and he would get it for her.

He pushed the trolley with one hand while still holding on to hers and steered them to the very right side of the store so that they can begin to make their trek through the aisles.

First on the list were candles and matches in case the storm caused a blackout. He threw two flashlights and batteries in for good measure. He had a gas stove so they didn't have to worry about not being able to cook. Next they turned down the aisle that held canned food. He grabbed a few cans, first asking Ziva if she was allergic to anything before adding it to the basket. He made sure to check for looks of distaste as well in case she didn't eat something he picked. So far, so good. He had enough coffee and hot chocolate, but his milk was running low, so he got a gallon. He saw Ziva looking at the shelf that held the boxes of tea and he knew he had her. There was something she wanted and he was going to get it for her.

He gently nudged her towards it and whispered in her ear. "Go on. Get your favourite."

"Tony, I - "

"No," he interrupted. "I said anything you want. So go on."

She gave in, not wanting to argue and added a small box of _Mauritian Vanilla Tea_ to their supplies. Tony wanted to dance in victory, but held off.

They continued to pile their supplies into the baskets until they were almost bursting. They got bread, two extra blankets, toilet paper, some soap, packets of chicken, cheese, soda, grapes, strawberries and whipped cream – Tony of course had a few naughty thoughts about it's uses when he loaded it into the basket – fruit juice, some ripe and juicy peaches, rice and macaroni. Tony insisted on getting pizza bases so that he could show of his Italian heritage to Ziva. He got all the toppings he needed and thankfully remembered to check everything for being kosher so as not to offend Ziva and made sure she was allowed to eat it.

Ziva stayed quiet through all this, only speaking when Tony asked her opinion on something.

Then, just as they were about to get in line to pay and Ziva wanted to heave a sigh of relief for getting out of the crowded store and into the comfort of Tony's home, her arm was once again almost pulled out of it's socket when Tony pulled her into the aisle that held the sweets. She had to roll her eyes and smile at his childlike behaviour.

"This is the best part of shopping!" Tony exclaimed. "I love sweets!"

She had to laugh at how excited he was and watched in disbelief as he piled chocolates, packets of chips, lollipops, chocolate cookies, crackers, gummy worms – the sour and the regular kind – and a few other items she could not identify into their already full baskets.

"Tony! We do not need so many sweets!" she said to try and control his oncoming sugar rush.

"What? Of course we do. Now, pick what you want."

"Tony, you had already gotten enough for six people."

"I know, but I want you to pick something you like," he stated seriously.

"Fine," she gave in and stood looking at the shelves for a second. Then she grabbed a simple milk chocolate bar and balanced it on top of the pile.

"That's it?" came his disbelieving question.

"What do you mean? You told me to pick and I picked."

"Yes, but just _one_? How are you going to survive on just that?"

"Tony," she began and took a deep breath before continuing. "Growing up in Israel, you learn to not eat many sweets because they are in scarce supply. Most of the time when a store gets in new stock, it is bombed before anyone gets the chance to buy themselves something sweet. I am not used to sweets, so I am happy with just one bar of chocolate," she made her case and saw understanding dawn upon him as she looked into his eyes.

"I guess that makes sense. Sorry I pushed you."

"It is okay."

"I'll share mine if you want more."

"That is very valiant of you, Tony. Thank you."

He squeezed her hand as they made their way to the cash registers once more.

They had to stand in line for almost fifteen minutes as there were many people trying to buy necessities before the blizzard hit and they were possibly stuck in their homes for days.

Tony felt his fingers go numb from not moving them for so long and he knew he had to get them back to life before he attempted driving again. Regretting what he was about to do, he pulled his hand out of Ziva's and watched her face fall with the sudden termination of their contact. He quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him, close enough so that his head was next to hers and he could whisper in her ear.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to let go of you at all, but my fingers need to get their blood circulation back if we have any hope of not being in a crash on the way home."

Her face lifted again as she felt him press a kiss on her hair just behind her ear. She blushed at the gesture, and was sure he saw the sudden colour on her cheeks. He didn't remove his arm from around her and they stood together like that, shuffling forward a few inches every time a new customer was called.

Then it was finally their turn, the old lady sitting behind the counter gave them a knowing look, thinking they were together. Ziva missed it, as she was busy unloading the items to be scanned, but Tony caught it and didn't bother to correct the woman, because he knew they looked like a couple and he really didn't want to explain their situation at that moment. What would he say in any case? _Hi, we just met each other a few days ago. We're soulmates, but she doesn't know it yet as I don't want to overwhelm her seeing as she just shot her brother dead yesterday to save a man she doesn't know any better than me. So we spent last night in bed together with her only wearing my shirt and now she's going to stay with me in my home while a blizzard is wreaking havoc on the city. _Yeah, that wouldn't go over well. At all. So he just left the woman to her assumptions and paid for their supplies.

An errand boy helped them put everything into his car's trunk next to Ziva's bag and then they were driving to Tony's apartment again after he generously tipped the boy.

He was filled with hope by the fact that she didn't comment on or bother to correct him earlier when he said _they_ were going _home._


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey there! Just a quick reminder that this story is AU. Tony and Ziva are MUCH more relaxed around each other than they are on the show in season three. Also please remember that they are soulmates and this makes everything for them so much easier, even if Ziva doesn't know yet. The soulmate-bond is VERY strong and you cannot fight it. So what might seem very strange for them on the show is natural for them here. **

**Disclaimer: I'm bleeding here. NO, IT IS NOT MINE.**

It was mid-afternoon when they eventually made their way back to Tony's apartment, arms laden with their supplies and Ziva's bag thrown over Tony's shoulder. He struggled with unlocking the door until the ninja came out again, balancing everything in her right arm while unlocking the door effortlessly with her left. She shot Tony a triumphant look over her shoulder as she entered the apartment. He stood in amazement for a few moments before following her, kicking the door shut with his foot. He found her in the kitchen, unloading the bags onto the counter. They spent some time putting it all away – Ziva unpacking the bags and Tony putting everything where it should be.

"You hungry?" Tony asked after the counter had been cleared.

"Just a little peckish – we had a big breakfast. I am still a little full."

"Me too. Sandwich?"

"Please."

They set about making them – Tony taking out everything they would need. They worked in silence and it struck them both how effortlessly they did it. They didn't clumsily bump into each other, but rather anticipated the other's next move and passed ingredients without having to be asked. As their late lunch was finished, they put everything back into it's place.

"What do you want to drink?"

"Juice is fine, thank you, Tony."

She took both of their plates to the living room, wanting to get off her feet after standing so long in the grocery store. He joined her a moment later, carrying their drinks.

"Here you go," he said, passing her the glass.

"_Toda_."

"What?" came Tony's obviously confused voice.

"What is wrong?" Ziva replied.

"You said something, but I didn't understand. What did you say?"

"Oh, I am sorry. I said '_toda_'. It means 'thank you' in Hebrew," she answered, a little embarrassed.

"That is so cool!" Tony exclaimed. "_Toda,_" he said, testing the word on his tongue. "What else can you say?"

"Tony, Hebrew is my native language. I learned it before I learned English."

"Oh, yes of course. Sorry, I didn't think that far. But still! Hebrew sounds cool. Can you teach me anything else?"

Ziva thought about it for a second, not fully understanding his sudden interest in learning the vernacular of Israel. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she decided to just go with it.

"Okay, Tony. What do you want to know?"

"Uhm… I hadn't thought this far ahead. Just give me a minute." He bit into his own lunch and seemed to really think for something to ask. "Okay, what is 'good night' in Hebrew?"

"_Laila tov."_

"_Laila tov_," he repeated after her. "_Laila tov," _he said again. "That has a nice ring to it. In Italian one would say - "

"_Buona notte," _Ziva finished his sentence.

"WHAT? You speak Italian?"

"Yes," she answered as she looked at a flabbergasted Tony and tried not to laugh at his facial expression.

"But…" She waited as he seemed to struggle for words. "How?" was the only thing he could think of to say.

"Mossad," Ziva stated again. "You learn things."

"How many languages can you speak?" Tony finally asked, having found his voice again.

"Ten," came the nonchalant answer as she continued eating.

"Whoa."

Tony was so impressed that he didn't even think to ask what the languages were. As they finished eating, he collected their plates and carried them to the kitchen with Ziva following. They still had to do the dishes from that morning and they had better get to it before they didn't have any more clean plates to eat from. They rolled up their sleeves while the water ran into the sink. Without discussing it, Tony took the place of washer and Ziva that of drier. For a while, the only sounds that here heard, were those of porcelain and glass clinking together.

Tony had just washed the last plate when he suddenly had the most marvellous idea. Checking through his peripheral vision, he saw Ziva drying unsuspectingly. He slipped his hand back into the water and waited for her to put the plate down before his hand snapped into the air, throwing a few drops of water in her face. She froze. He waited with baited breath for her reaction. He feared bodily harm and death. Finally, after what felt like an eternity for Tony, she turned to face him. She had an evil smirk on her face and before he could comprehend what was happening, she had put her own hand into the water and had mightily splashed him before beginning to run from the kitchen. It took Tony a moment to realise that she was playing along, before he sprang into action and sprinted after her. They were with laughing by the time he caught her just as she reached the living room. Both of them felt a rush of heat as his arms slipped strongly around her waist and they fell on the couch with her landing on top of him. Tony took the opportunity to test whether or not she was ticklish and attacked her sides with his fingers. He rejoiced as a girlish squeal left her lips and she squirmed to get away from him.

"Tony!" she managed to say through gasping for her breath. "Let me go!" She had not finished talking when another fit of giggles overcame her when he increased his attack by moving his fingers to her stomach.

"Oh, no! It doesn't work like that! You have to work for it! Say: 'Tony is awesome'."

"No!" she tried to argue, but couldn't escape his hands.

"Say it!"

"Fine!" She panted. "Tony is awesome. Now let me go!"

"Nope," he challenged as he continued to make her squeal, letting up on his attack for a second and then coming back with full force. "You have to beg for it."

"Tony, please!" she almost screamed, trying to catch her breath, but to no avail.

"I wasn't finished," he continued, whispering in her ear. "You have to beg for it _in Hebrew."_

"_Bevakasha!_"

"Fine – now I am satisfied," he consented as he stopped his attack and allowed her to breathe again.

As her panting became less and her breathing evened, Tony was suddenly reminded of the fact that she was lying on top of him, every inch of their bodies pressed together in the most delectable way. As if reading his thoughts, Ziva suddenly lifted her head from where it had fallen. He felt every fibre of his being light up with fire when her face and those succulent lips were barely an inch from his.


	18. Chapter 18

**Cliff-hanger 101 in chapter 17. On we go. Please don't kill me. There is a reason for everything.**

**Disclaimer: My name is not CBS. Or Donald P. Bellisario.**

They stared at each other for an eternity, both lost in the other's eyes. Tony's eyes were the first to move. They flicked down to her lips before holding her gaze again. They both unconsciously licked their lips. _This is it, _Tony thought_. I'm going to kiss my soulmate for the first time._ However, just as he was about to lean upwards and close the gap, his cell phone, the trustworthy _deus_ _ex_ _machina_, started ringing. He saw Ziva's eyes go wide and he immediately wanted to kill whoever was calling for killing the mood. In an instant she had jumped right off of him as if being electrocuted and was sprinting down the hall. As he heard the bathroom door slam shut, he whipped out his phone and answered without looking at who was calling.

"WHAT?"

"Gee, DiNozzo. That how you greet everyone?" came Gibbs' steely voice from the other side.

"Sorry, boss. Was just in the middle of something."

"Yeah, that I gathered. David still with you?"

"Yeah…" Tony trailed off.

"She okay?"

Tony craned his head to look down the hall and saw the door to the bathroom still closed with so sound coming from behind it.

"Yeah. She told me about…" He couldn't find it in himself to say the words in case she might be listening.

"Thought she might."

"Yeah," Tony said again, thinking that word was basically what made up this conversation. "You call about a case, boss?"

"No. Just wanted to let you know the team had the rest of the week off. With the last case and the weather and all."

"Thanks boss. See you next week then."

He was only greeted with the dial tone as a response. Typical Gibbs. Always had impeccable timing and never says goodbye. He ran a weary hand over his face and thought of how best to handle the situation with Ziva. He sighed and got up from the couch to go stand in front of the bathroom door.

"Ziva?" he asked softly. He heard nothing in return. "Ziva?" he tried again. "May I come in?" This time a noncommittal response came from behind the door. "Okay, I'm coming in now," he warned her as he went to turn the knob.

Opening the door slowly, he found her sitting on the vanity where he had put her the previous night when they had gotten home. Her head was resting in her hands and her shoulders were slumped.

"Ziva?" he questioned again as he went to stand in front of her.

She finally lifted her head from her hands and he saw that her cheeks were an almighty red. She didn't say anything, so he thought he should.

"I'm sorry," he quietly apologised. It was all he could think of to say.

"For almost kissing me?" she asked bluntly.

To say he was surprised with her saying that so easily was an understatement.

"Uhm… Yes. No. I don't know."

At her look of confusion, he knew he had to make a decision. They were getting along so wonderfully with the handholding and the chaste kisses to her forehead, but this moment they were in – this was real. He knew if he said the wrong thing now, he might just scare her away for life. And he didn't want that. So he decided to go with honesty and prayed heavenward what he didn't mess everything up.

"You see… Uhm… Geez this is difficult to explain!" he exclaimed.

"Just try. Please," she encouraged him in a small voice.

"Okay… I'm not sorry for almost kissing you. I… I really like you and I would very much like to kiss you and I'm sorry my phone ruined the moment, but Ziva… God, Ziva! You are so beautiful and having your face so close to mine…" he didn't know how to continue and dropped his own face in his hands.

"We have only known each other for less than a week , yes?" she supplied for him.

His head lifted and he look at her, not fully knowing where she was going with this.

"Yes…" he replied wearily.

"And before I… Before I shot my brother, we had only had one conversation, yes?"

He only nodded his head.

"So being as comfortable as we have been around each other… It is strange, is it not? That I can be so open with what I am feeling with you and you willing to put up with me?"

He nodded again. For a terrifying moment he thought that she had figured it out – that they were soulmates – and he feared that she was going to march out that door and fly back to Israel on the first plane she got. However, he was in for a surprise.

"As strange as it may be, the past day with you, since last night… I have found that I like you. Much more than I probably should. And I like the person I am when I am with you. Of course subtracting the bawling my eyes out part." She chuckled and she saw him relax at the sound. "I am not going to run out of this room, Tony," she reassured him. "And I would like to kiss you too. However, I think to do that now is moving a little quickly."

"I'm sorry," he apologised again.

"It is okay, Tony. I understand."

"Do you?" he asked, because he knew she didn't. Not entirely in any case. She was his soulmate, damn it! She didn't know what it did to him to have her so close to him and almost kissing her.

She stayed quiet, however, not answering his question because she sensed that there was something she did not understand. That made her very curious and she wanted him to elaborate, but he only stayed quiet as she looked into his eyes.

He really, really wanted to kiss her right then, but knew now was not the best time. In many ways he was very traditional. You meet the girl, go on a few dates with the girl and _then _you kiss the girl. He might not have followed this resolution with the many one night stands he has had in his life, but Ziva was special. Very special. She would be his last first kiss. He would never want anybody else. Ever.

"Okay, I'm just going to…put on a movie. I'll give you a minute."

And without looking at her face he marched out of the bathroom to go and get a grip on himself. He picked out a movie, popped it in the player and watched the opening credits while he seated himself on the couch to wait for her.

Ten minutes later – and when the song from the play screen was starting to irritate the hell out of him – he saw her stepping into the living room and seating herself on the far end of the couch.

He couldn't help but feel a little angry with the world – and himself – as he pressed play.


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, just a heads-up: My grandfather is very ill and we are flying out to go see him tomorrow. I do not yet know how long I will be staying and if my internet connection will be working over there in order to update this. I promise to finish this story, but the next few chapters may not come at such regular intervals as they have been. **

**Sorry to my faithful readers! Thank you again for the follows, favourites and reviews. Much appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: Last night I dreamt that I owned them. Then I woke up.**

Things were a bit awkward after that conversation they had in the bathroom. Ziva still did not understand her intense attraction to him – funnily enough she did not even think of the possibility that they were soulmates as she has been blocking it out for all of her life.

As they watched the movie, both of them desperately waned to move closer to the middle of the couch just to be near the other. Tony was still incredibly angry about the space between them and Ziva started to doubt whether she made the wrong decision by telling him it was too soon. Her head told her it was the right decision, but again that feeling in her subconscious made her feel that being close to him was the right thing – too quickly or not. She did not really focus on the movie. Sure, her eyes were glued to the screen and she was watching the characters interact with each other, but her head was swirling with thoughts. Her brain and her subconscious were arguing with each other about how to approach the situation with Tony. Her brain told her to keep her distance, but she wanted to be close to him so badly.

Meanwhile, Tony was rehashing every interaction they have had since she came home with him the previous evening. It felt as if they have been in each other's company for weeks, yet it was only a meagre twenty four hours. He thought about the way she clung to him when he found her in the park and her broken voice when she told him she was the one who had killed Ari. And the fact that he was her brother. He remembered their shower and how well they fit together in his bed, even if they were only sleeping in it. He vowed to one day take her to that very same bed and seal their soulmate-bond by making love to her in it. However, at the present moment even touching her felt as if it wasn't going to happen anytime soon with her sitting so irritatingly far from him. Taking into account the amount of touching they have done in the past day, she should have been cuddled up to him with her head on his shoulder or in his lap instead of being all the way over there. He looked at her and saw her eyes were trained on the television, but her body was rigid and she looked very uncomfortable where she was sitting. He desperately wanted to reach over and pull her to him. His primal instinct was to be close to her, to protect her and to love her. He knew the loving part was a bit soon – he didn't exactly love her yet because that takes time – but he knew he was going to love her in the future. He only prayed to heaven that she will let him be a part of her life and someday love him back.

Their concentration was eventually pulled to the movie when there was a very romantic kissing scene between the two lead characters. A few minutes later, Tony turned his head towards Ziva, paused the movie and broke the silence for the first time.

"Would you like anything to drink?"

Knowing that this was her chance to make her decision about what she was going to do with whatever there was forming between them, she stood up to walk to the kitchen herself.

"Do not worry, I will get it. What do you want?"

"Soda is fine, thanks," came Tony's surprised answer. He watched her saunter to the kitchen, his eyes glued to her butt the entire way there.

Coming into the kitchen, Ziva went to the fridge and opened the door. Something about looking into the fridge always made her clear her thoughts. It was either the light or the cold or the combination of the two, but staring into Tony's refrigerator that evening helped her make probably the most important decision of her life, even if she did not know it at the time. Grabbing two cans of soda from the rack, she closed the door, squared her shoulders in determination and steeled herself for what she was about to do. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the living room with a slight smile on her face.

"Here you go, Tony," she said as she handed him the can.

"Thanks," he replied and waited for her to return to her seat at the end of the couch before pressing play again. He was shocked to his core when she instead sunk down right next to him, not meeting his eyes. He was stunned to silence for a few seconds, but finally caught up with himself. "Can I open that for you?" he asked, reaching for her can.

"Thank you," came her voice as she handed it to him. They both knew she was very capable of doing it herself, but letting him do it for her felt like a step in bridging the gap she had placed between them earlier.

He smiled at her when he gave her the open can back again, and caught her eyes. He was overjoyed that she was smiling back at him. And that she was sitting next to him. Opening his own can of soda, he pressed play on the remote and they watched the movie again, both a lot more content than they were just a few minutes ago.


	20. Chapter 20

**The easygoing Tiva is back! Man, I don't like writing them being at odds with each other… **

**Disclaimer: Is it mine? No.**

When their movie finished, it was already dark. In some ways, sitting closer to each other was even more torture, because both of them felt the heat coming off the other's skin and they very much wanted to reach out and touch each other, even if it was just to hold hands again. Both were frustrated with themselves for not having the courage to establish contact by the time the credits rolled.

Tony's head turned to her then and his breath was once again taken away when he saw her. Her face was only illuminated by the television screen and the streetlight coming through the window. She looked so ethereal. He wondered how she could even be real and how he was worthy of being betrothed to her.

Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up at him and was taken aback by his intense gaze.

"What is it Tony?" she asked.

"You're beautiful," he stated, smiling. His answer took her by surprise and she felt a deep blush spreading across her cheeks and a smile daring to overtake her lips. "And when you blush and smile like that, you're even more beautiful," came his second statement. She cast her eyes down at that and smiled even brighter. She was sure her face was flaming red by now, but as she glanced up at him again, she saw in his eyes that he meant every word he had just said.

"Thank you, Tony," came her shy answer. She did not know how he had such power over her – she had never blushed when someone had called her beautiful. It scared her that she was able to be so entirely relaxed in his company, but she found that she liked it a little too. She was trained to always be on the alert, but she revelled again in being able to just feel safe.

"Want some dinner and another movie?"

"That would be nice, thank you. Although, maybe only a small dinner. We had lunch late."

"Well then let's go, ma'am!" he said excitedly as he jumped up from the couch and held out his hand to help her up. He feared her not taking it, but smiled when her warm hand slipped into his and she used it to hoist herself up and unto her feet. His smile disappeared soon however, when she lightly hit him on his shoulder. It wasn't hard, but enough to sting for a few seconds.

"Hey! What was that for?" he exclaimed.

"Do not call me 'ma'am'," she stated with a very serious face, but he could see a smile threatened to break free.

"Duly noted."

The smile returned to his face as he pulled her from the living room.

In the kitchen, they whipped up a quick, light dinner, working together effortlessly again.

They returned to the living room, carrying their food and drinks with. Tony put in another movie and they settled in next to each other to watch it. Tony, who had seen the movie already, offered to take their dishes back to the kitchen when they were finished eating. When he returned, he sat a little closer to Ziva than he had when they were eating and threw his arm casually over the back of the couch, resting it a few inches behind her head. She either didn't even notice, as she was very invested in the movie, or she didn't mind, because she didn't react to it, so Tony relaxed next to her and turned his own eyes to the screen.

Half an hour passed and Tony saw Ziva's eyes getting a bit droopy. His insides turned over when her head fell against his shoulder a few minutes later. Hesitantly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He relished in her warmth next to him and decided to watch her, rather than the movie. When the ending credits rolled again, he just sat there, listening to the music and watching her sleep.

When the music stopped, Ziva was woken by the sudden silence. He felt the exact moment she became aware of where she was rested as her entire body tensed up, but again she relaxed a moment later when she realised that he didn't mind her position.

"You awake?" he asked softly, even though he knew the answer.

"Yes," she whispered back, her voice not yet returned from sleep. "What time is it?"

"Past eleven. Do you want to go to sleep?"

"Yes, I would like to." She finally lifted her head and looked at him. Like that afternoon, their faces were only inches from the other, and they both almost jumped away from the other, but Tony's arm at her waist kept her rooted to the spot. "Uhm…" she was at a loss for words for a moment, stunned by his closeness and the need inside her to kiss his lips. She quickly recovered and drew her face back only an inch in order to be able to focus on his eyes. "I would like to shower first. Is that okay?"

"Yes," he answered her with a raspy voice.

"Okay," she said, but made no move to get up. They stared at each other for a few seconds more, trying to read the other's thoughts and both coming up with the same results. They wanted to kiss so badly, but Ziva's words from that afternoon kept them from doing it. In that moment, she regretted ever saying them, but kept by them. Tony told himself that he would wait until she gave him the okay before he finally sealed their mouths together, but he didn't know how long he would last if they kept on getting themselves into these situations where the temptation is so great.

Eventually Ziva pulled back and stood up. This time, she held out her hand to him and he took it. They both smiled at their repetitive actions. After turning off the television, Tony retrieved Ziva's bag where it was resting in the hall and took it to the bathroom for her.

"There you go. Don't use up all the hot water," he teased.

"I will try my best," she said with a mischievous smile. He left the bathroom then and she turned the water on when the door closed.

About ten minutes later, she walked into Tony's bedroom wearing shorts and a singlet top. He was sitting on the bed, paging through a magazine when he spotted her coming through the door. He couldn't decide which was sexier – her wearing his shirt or her wearing that outfit which complimented her figure wonderfully.

"Hope there's still some hot water left for me," he smiled, trying not to stare at her.

"I might have left you some."

"Thanks. I'll be right back," he said and gathered his things.

She went to sit on the edge of the bed and started to try and comb her mess of curls as he was leaving the room. She was just finishing when he came back from his shower, wearing a pair of boxers and a t-shirt.

"It must be hell to comb all the tangles from that head of hair," he commented when he saw her still busy even though he had time to shower in the time she had been busy.

"Yes," she answered. "The weather makes it extra curly. It is a headache."

"I like it," came his nonchalant answer while he was busy putting his clothes of the day in the hamper for washing.

Ziva was silent after his compliment. When her hair was tangle free, she put her brush on the dresser and walked to the side of the bed she had slept on the night before. Pulling back the covers, she got in and waited for him. He joined her a moment later after turning off the main light.

With only the glow of the city's lights coming through the window, they chatted for a while until their sentences started getting fewer and farther between. Hearing Ziva's breathing even out, he softly breathed his good night into the air.

"_Laila tov, _Ziva_."_


	21. Chapter 21

**This is where the fun starts! Tony and Ziva stuck in the apartment for a few days. I might throw some angst in there. Because I am evil. MHUHAH HAHAHA! *chokes***

**Disclaimer: I was like: "I want to own NCIS." And life was like: "No."**

When Tony woke up the next morning, Ziva was all but curled up into him with her head resting comfortably on his chest. Her hand was pressed over his heart, much like the first night they spent together and his arms were secured around her waist, moulding her body to his. He knew the thought was premature, but he couldn't wait for the time when he would have the privilege to wake up like that every day. Her weight against him felt so natural. As he listened to her breathing he contemplated the past few days again. He was astonished with how many times she had made him feel utterly happy. He hoped he had made her happy too.

He was so content with laying in bed that he was startled when she began moving in his arms. He wanted to feign sleep when he realised that she would be waking up to him holding her like a lover, but then he remembered the way she woke up on the couch the previous night. Then she was also being held by him and she didn't seem to mind. So he relaxed and waited for her to become fully cognisant.

Ziva's first thought upon waking was that she was very comfortable. And she also felt well rested. Opening her eyes, she took in her surroundings. She surmised that she was embracing Tony and being embraced by him in return. She felt she liked it. From listening to his breathing, she knew he was awake and he most certainly has to have noticed their positions. The fact that he had not moved away from her meant that he was enjoying it as well. Letting herself smile at this, she turned her head up, much like the previous night to look at his face.

"_Boker tov_, Tony," she greeted him sleepily.

"Good morning," he greeted in return. "Was that Hebrew again?"

"Yes, it means 'good morning'."

"So I assumed," he said, smiling down at her. "I'm guessing the storm hits today. What would you like to do, seeing as we will be stuck inside?"

"I would like to stay in bed for a little longer, if you do not mind." She felt herself blush a little at the innuendo he could derive from that, and hastened to explain herself. "It is just that in Mossad I do not have many chances to have a lie in and I would like to make use of this opportunity."

"Of course," he answered her.

They fell silent then and she turned her face back down again to lie more comfortably on his chest. His hand later started travelling slowly up her back and then down again, drawing lazy circles. Neither of them commented on it. Ziva felt herself smile at the tender gesture and Tony didn't realise he was even doing it until he had wrapped one of her curls around his finger and it had gotten stuck. He looked at his hand confusedly, not understanding how it ended up like that while Ziva only laughed at him and helped him untangle it.

"Sorry," he whispered to her when she had taken her place on top of him again.

"It is okay, Tony. I find it rather funny actually," she said with another laugh."I like people playing with my hair," she added, trying to get through to him that she did not mind.

"I like your hair."

"You said."

"I mean it. It's so thick. And curly. It's pretty."

"Well, you have my permission to play with it then anytime you like."

"Really?" he asked, sounding like a little boy on Christmas morning.

"Yes, really."

"Thank you."

A comfortable silence settled over them again as Tony continued to twirl curly brown locks around his fingers. The soft movements made Ziva almost fall asleep again, but she was woken from her dozing when he spoke up.

"When I was nine, my cousin Leah and I got chicken pox and we were quarantined together for a week. She had this beautiful head of long blond hair, inherited from her mother. She was older than me, being twelve at the time, and man were we bored that week!" He stopped to smile and take a breath. "It was in the middle of summer and we weren't allowed to go outside and play with our friends. Out of sheer frustration, she ended up teaching me to braid her hair."

For a few seconds there was silence, as Ziva didn't say anything because she expected him to continue talking. When he didn't, she answered him.

"I can only imagine a boy of that age wanting to play in the dirt but having to braid hair."

"Yeah, it must've looked pretty funny to our parents, but I actually enjoyed it." He was quiet again while deciding whether or not to ask the next question. "May I braid your hair for you? I'll understand if you don't want to, but I just thought - "

"Yes," she interrupted him, looking up into his face. "You may. I gave you permission, remember?"

"Right," he said a little sheepishly.

"I am going to have to brush it out again first, though. Because it must be very wild at the moment," she said as she reluctantly withdrew from his embrace and got out of bed to retrieve her brush from the dresser. As she sat back down and went to gather her hair, she was stopped by a strong hand covering hers.

"Let me," he said as he took the brush from her hand. She turned to look at him incredulously for a moment, but he only looked back, silently asking her to let him do this. She relented, amused. After smiling in victory, he settled in behind her and began dividing her curls into sections for easier untangling, just like his cousin had taught him all those years ago.


	22. Chapter 22

**Reminder: This story is AU, so my characters are AU.**

**Disclaimer: Pretty please? … Fine.**

Ziva relaxed even more – if that were possible – under Tony's fingers gliding softly through her hair. She was amazed at the tenderness with which he brushed her tangled curls, making sure to hold the top of the strand so as not to pull against her head when he encountered a particularly big knot. He made sure to put the tangle free sections neatly over her shoulder before starting with the next section as not to confuse them. Many times she considered hiring him as her private hair stylist, if only so that she could relax as much as she has every time he brushes her hair.

When he finished with the last few strands, he carefully pulled the rest from her shoulder and ran the brush through another few times. Ziva was almost sad when he set the brush aside, because it had felt so wonderful against her scalp, but she changed her mind when his fingers replaced the brush and started combing through her hair. She closed her eyes in cheer enjoyment as he began sectioning off parts to start a French braid. She was a little surprised at this, as a French braid is tricky to do, but that thought went out the window as soon as it entered. She was enjoying herself too much.

Some time later, she was sad to no longer feel his fingers running through her curls as he had finished the braid.

"Do you have hair tie?" he asked her.

"It is in my bag in the bathroom," she replied.

"You'll have to walk with me to get it then," he said while still holding the end of the braid so that it won't fall apart.

They got up from the bed and walked close to each other to the bathroom. Ziva took the hair tie out of her bag and handed it to him. He expertly ended off the braid and let it fall down onto her back.

"You can look now, if you want. I hope it is up to standard – I haven't made one of these in years," he chuckled, trying to conceal his nervousness at her coming criteria.

Without a word, she turned to the mirror and inspected his creation. To her surprise, she now sported a perfectly made French braid. She almost gasped and leant closer to better inspect his handiwork. She turned her head this way and that, looking at it from every possible angle she could muster, while Tony stood watching over her shoulder in anticipation of her verdict.

Finally, she turned to him.

"Well?"

She was silent for a beat longer, before a smile stretched across her face.

"I love it, Tony. Thank you." And with that she shyly stepped forward and enveloped him in a hug. Not expecting this, it took him a second to respond, but then she felt his strong arm wrap around her waist and hug her back. They stood there for a few moment while Tony looked at their reflection in the mirror. He liked the picture he saw. It was cute how she had to stand on her toes to be able to reach her arms around his shoulders. He then looked at his own arms where they were holding her around her slim waist with the braid's end tickling his forearm. Much to soon for both of their tastes, she pulled away and sunk back to her actual height before him. She still had a smile on her face.

"I'm glad you like it."

"I do."

"So... Breakfast?"

"Sounds good. I'm just going to change quickly."

"Me too. I'll meet you in the kitchen." With that and one last smile, he left the bathroom. Once in the bedroom again, he quickly made the bed and put on a pair of jeans and a new shirt.

He then went to the kitchen to start preparing their breakfast while he waited for Ziva to finish. He was just about to pour the coffee when he heard her padding barefoot down the hall. Turning the corner, she was dressed casually in skinny jeans and a top. Her braid was draped over her shoulder.

"Just in time," he greeted her. She watched as he poured them coffee and sat down at the counter. "Is some cereal good for this morning or do you want something heavier? We still have lots of pancake batter."

"Cereal will be fine, thank you."

He took out bowls and spoons after handing her a cup of coffee and proceeded to pour cereal for himself before handing her the box. The milk followed and soon he was sitting next to her, enjoying their meal.

"So, what are we doing today?" she asked him between bites.

"Well, it's still a little early for a movie. We can't go outside. Your hair is already braided." He paused to think for a few seconds. Suddenly his face lit up. "Oh, I know! We could play a game!"

"What type of game, Tony?" she asked, her face sceptical.

This silenced him, as he had not thought so far ahead. She smiled at the frown that was suddenly on his face. When they had finished eating, she took their bowls to the sink and quickly rinsed them out. By the time she returned, he was still perched on the stool, but she could see he was going to propose something soon. She didn't have to wait long.

"How about we play _Twenty Questions_?"

"_Twenty Questions_?"

"Yeah, it's really easy. We ask each other twenty questions as a means to get to know one another better."

"What type of questions do you ask?"

"Normal things, like favourite colour, favourite food etcetera. You don't necessarily have to stop at twenty – you see where the game takes you. And if you don't want to answer a particular question, you just say so and we move on. You want to play?"

"Okay," she agreed. "But let us move to the living room. The couch is more comfortable than these chairs."


	23. Chapter 23

**First of all: Thank you very much for the well-wishes for my grandfather. His condition has not improved and nor it is ever likely to. The doctors have done what they can for him, so basically he is just waiting.**

**To those of you who suggested I have Tony and Ziva ask about their tattoos, that is actually a brilliant idea, but I did not even thought to include it when I wrote this. I really wanted to add it now, but than I would have to change the entire story forward. So sorry, guys.**

**I got some of these answers from the website .com. I take no credit for making them up, but the rest are fictional. I know we find these out over like eight seasons of the show, but here it's done with one game. (I didn't quite get to twenty though.) I altered their ages a little for this fic, because Ziva being 23 and Tony 37 was a bit weird.**

**Disclaimer: No. I just borrowed it's awesomeness.**

They entered the living room and Tony sat down in the middle of the couch. Ziva sat next to him with her one leg bent at the knee, facing him and the lower part of her leg pressing into his upper thigh.

"So, how are we going to do this? Do one of us ask a question and then both of us answer it?" Tony asked her once they were comfortably settled in.

"That sounds reasonable. Will you start?"

"Okay Miss David, what is your favourite colour?"

"Black," she answered immediately. "What?" she asked at the look on his face.

"That's so depressing. I like green."

"It is not depressing, it is elegant and classy," she insisted. "Now, it is my turn. What is your blood type?"

Tony laughed. "Only a crazy Israeli Ninja Chick will ask that as her first question. It's A positive. Yours?"

"AB negative. Your turn."

"Uhm… Let's see… Embarrassing memory?"

"Urgh. Only you would ask that. I slept with stuffed toys until I was twelve. And if you ever repeat that, I will kill you in your sleep," she threatened.

"Duly noted. I slept in a canopy bed when I was younger."

"What is your favourite food?" was her next question.

"You're kidding right? PIZZA! With pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese."

"I should have known," she laughed. "With all those pizza ingredients you bought when we went to the store. Next question?"

"You didn't answer yet."

"Oh, well I do not really have a favourite type of food. I eat what I get."

"Miss No Fuss. Figures. Okay… Next question… What is your favourite movie?"

"_The Sound of Music_," she answered him. "Do not pull your face like that! It is an excellent movie!"

"I disagree. I like any James Bond better."

"Of course. What is you favourite book?"

"Movie person here," he said while raising his hand to indicate himself. "But I would like to know yours."

"_Moby Dick_ by Herman Melville."

"Impressive. Now let's see… What are you afraid of?"

"Being captured alive. You?"

"Vampires. And rats. And needles." He shuddered. "I can't stand them."

"Poor you," she teased. "How old are you?"

"Why that evil question? I'm thirty-five," he answered with a pout.

"You are worse about your age than women!"

"Whatever. How old are you?"

"Twenty-six."

"Oh to be that young again!" he sighed dramatically and she laughed. "My turn. Who is your favourite singer or band?"

"There is this Israeli band called _Hadag Nahash_ whom I like. Out of the American ones it has to be _Kinky_."

"Nice! Mine has to be Old Blue Eyes Himself."

"'Old Blue Eyes'?"

"Frank Sinatra!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, of course. What is your favourite song?"

"_Fly me to the moon._ Yours?"

"I do not really have one. I like quite a few."

"What is your happiest childhood memory?"

"I took ballet lessons when I was little. I loved being able to dance."

"I can only imagine you in a tutu," he said with a faraway look in his eyes. "OW!" he yelled as she hit him on the shoulder again.

"Stop fantasising about me in a tutu then! Now it is your turn to answer."

"I can't really answer that. My childhood wasn't really something to be remembered."

"I am sorry," she said softly.

"Nah, it's okay. Your question?"

"What is your favourite season?"

"Summer, without a doubt. Yours?"

"Growing up in a desert, I like the American winters. I like the snow."

"Well you're going to see a lot of it once this blizzard is over."

"I hope so."

"Hmm, it is starting to get more difficult thinking of questions." They were silent for a moment. "What is your shoe size?"

"Seven."

"I'm a thirteen."

"Do you have a favourite quote?"

"Only from every movie I have ever seen!"

"Too many to state then. Mine is 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' by Edmund Burke."

"Nice one. Where have you gone on holiday?"

"As a child we went to Haifa a lot. And you?"

"The Hamptons."

"Any hidden talents?"

"Of course! I know all the good movies."

"Hardly a 'hidden' talent!"

"If I tell you my actual one, it won't be a secret anymore. I'll surprise you one day."

"Fine. I can play the piano."

"That is so cool! My mother had me take lessons when I was five, but I stopped after she died." He fell silent suddenly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'd like to learn again one day."

"Maybe I will teach you."

"Really?" he asked excitedly.

"If you behave," she teased him.

"I'll try my best." They were silent again. "I can't think of anymore questions," he said just as thunder clapped above them and Ziva jumped about a foot in the air. Tony's hand fell on her leg in a gesture of comfort. "Looks like the storm is coming."

When he got no answer from Ziva, he turned to see her looking at where his hand had fallen.

"Sorry," he apologised and tried to remove his hand, but she grabbed it before he could and put it back where it was.

"It is okay. You are not forbidden from touching me."

"Okay," he answered, overjoyed on the inside.

Thunder clapped again and he heard a small whimper fall from Ziva's lips. He knew from the other night that she didn't really like the thunder and he wondered why it agitated her so much. Squeezing her leg, he decided to find out.

"Ziva," he asked softly. "Why don't you like the thunder?"

She looked up at him after a few seconds and he saw there were traces of tears in her eyes. Her voice was trembling when she answered him.

"It sounds like gunfire."


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: 24 chapters and I still don't own it. Life is so unfair.**

Ziva's words were barely cold when Tony's arms began moving to embrace her.

"Come here," he told her softly.

She went without complaint and she was soon comfortably settled into his lap. Just like the night he found her sitting in the rain, her legs were thrown over his with his arms wrapped tightly around her trembling body. Her face pressed into his chest as he heard her crying quietly. He felt a sense of déjà vu when he whispered nonsensical things to her in an attempt to soothe her. About a quarter of an hour later, her sobs quieted but she didn't move. Tony only kept on rubbing her back and pressing the occasional kiss to her head.

A few minutes later, she finally spoke up.

"I am sorry, Tony. We were having such a nice time and I ruin it by breaking down into a sobbing mess."

"No, you have nothing to be sorry for. You deserve to grieve. Ari might not have been the best of men, but he was still your brother. He was a nice person to you. You have every right to mourn that part of him. And I'm here for you. If you want to laugh one second and cry the next, I'll be here."

"Thank you, Tony. I do not know how many times I have said it, but I will never say it enough. So thank you."

"Always."

They were quiet again as they revelled in the closeness of the other. Both of them were very content with their positions and neither wanted to move. Tony's eyes fell on the clock on the wall and he saw that it was almost past lunch. To verify this, his stomach rumbled.

"Somebody sounds hungry," Ziva said laughing.

"We played _Twenty Question_s all morning. I do believe you must be hungry too."

"I am rather. Lunch?"

"Sounds good, though I don't really want to get up."

"Me neither. I am very comfortable – you make a good pillow, Tony."

"Are you saying I'm fat?" he asked mock-outraged.

"No, just comfortable."

"Right," he said, drawing out the word to make it four syllables long.

"So are we going to get lunch?"

"You're the one sitting on top of me, missy. You have to get up first."

"You could always pick me up," she joked, but shrieked when Tony stood up in the next second with her still in his arms. "Tony, put me down!"

"Nope! You were the one who suggested I pick you up, so now I'm picking you up."

"I meant it as a joke, Tony! Now put me down!"

"I will. Once we're in the kitchen."

"Fine," she relented and settled in to be carried the short distance. When they reached the kitchen, she made to get down, but Tony only held on to her tighter and refused to let go. She was about to yell at him, or threaten him, but he put her down on one of the counter chairs before she could. When she made to get down to help him with lunch, he stopped her however.

"Oh no! You sit. I make lunch."

"But - "

"No!" he interrupted her. "Sit."

She crossed her arms in half-annoyance, but stayed seated. She watched him as he whipped around the kitchen and ten minutes later was presented with a plate filled to the edges. He sat down next to her and they ate.

"Want to watch another movie when we're done here?"

"You and your movies. When I leave here, I will have watched every one ever made!"

"Hey, I'm a movie-buff! Of course I watch a lot of movies. But I don't have every one ever made. Only the good ones."

"You do not have _The Sound of Music_."

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response."

"Whatever you say. I like it."

"Again. No comment."

They were silent a few moments more until their plates were empty. Tony went to take Ziva's but she stopped him.

"No, you made the food, so I clean up."

"You really don't have to," he protested.

"I want to. I cannot keep staying here if I do not do anything to help you."

"Sure you can," came his insistence.

"No. It does not work that way."

Seeing he was getting nowhere, he let her take their plates to the sink and admired her as she washed them. He took in her slender figure and smiled when he thought of the way it felt pressed against his body. He watched as her braid swung from left to right as she scrubbed with vigour and he felt proud that he was the one who had made it. She was the first person he ever told that he could braid hair. Other women he was with never even knew he had a cousin, much less the story he had told Ziva that morning. He felt a rush of heat when he again thought about the fact that he had found his soulmate. He always thought that the knowledge of having found her would fill him with a sense of dread. One woman for the rest of his life? He didn't think it was the most wonderful thing in the world. But now that he had her, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He felt butterflies in his stomach when he looked at her and his entire body was on red alert when they were close to each other. And that overwhelming urge to kiss her was both wonderful and extremely irritating.

He didn't realise the object of his thoughts had finished with the dishes until she had to touch him arm to bring his attention back down to earth.

"What were you thinking about, Tony? You had this faraway dreamy look on your face."

"Oh, just stuff," he assured her quickly. "Movie now?"

"Of course," she answered him, waiting until he got up and his back was turned before she let a smile spread across her face. She had seen where his gaze was resting and she felt her insides tingle with the knowledge that he had that expression on his face because he was thinking about her.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: Obviously not.**

When they entered the living room again, Ziva thought about how many times they had done that in the past two days she had lived with Tony. Going into the living room seemed so very ordinary, but having caught that look on Tony's face had made her day. She silently berated herself for letting it make her feel so happy – she had known the man for less than a week, for crying out loud – but she was not able to shake the giddy feeling surrounding her. Yes, he might not have admitted to thinking about her, but she knew that was because of their conversation in the bathroom and how she did not want to move quite as quickly. She still did not really want to jump into anything, but she had been contemplating something else in the minutes she was alone over the past few days.

First, Ari was a traitor to his country and to his family. As much as she did not want to believe it, she knew that her father was the cause of this treachery. Her father had raised his own son to become a monster. This in turn made her contemplate the relationship she had with her father and also her position in Mossad. She constantly asked herself whether her father had in mind for her the same things he had done to Ari. Did he want to turn her into a monster too? He had already trained her to be an assassin, a professional killer, so why would he hesitate to turn her into the second Ari?

Since she had come to the United States and helped out at NCIS, she had felt more relaxed and comfortable than she had ever been in Israel. She liked the familial bond Gibbs' team had formed. She was just very sad that they had to lose a member at the hands of her brother. From what she had heard about Kate, she was a very nice person and everyone seemed to love her.

All of these thoughts swirled around in her head and made her very confused. That was one of the reasons she had told Tony to back down a little, because she was not even sure about herself and her place in the world at the moment, so how could she be sure about starting something with a wonderful man? She was due to return to Israel and Mossad within the next week and she did not know when or even if she was ever coming back to America.

Suddenly, a thought that had wedged it's way into the back of her head sprung to the forefront of her mind. It was an utterly ridiculous thought and that was why she never allowed herself to explore it's possibilities. This thought housed the suggestion that maybe she did not have to return to Mossad. Maybe it was time for her to go her own way, discover who she really was when she was not being a killer. Thinking back on the past few days, that seemed to work really well for her. Granted, she had just killed her brother to save the life of someone who is basically a stranger, but since she had been with Tony, she had been more…human. She was not constantly looking over her shoulder to see if there were any potential threats. She allowed herself to lower her defences. They were still there – ten years of training will never allow you to completely abandon them – but she felt like she could breathe. She could laugh. She could cry. She could be happy.

Happy.

She rolled the word around in her mind and tested the way it felt to her. She had not thought about being happy since she had unofficially joined Mossad when she turned sixteen and officially when she was eighteen. Did being here with Tony make her happy? Her subconscious mind broke through with a loud resounding echo of "YES!". This startled her a little, as the last time she could fully describe herself as being happy is probably when she was still a little girl.

She was however pulled from her thoughts when Tony asked her opinion on which one of the two movies he was holding out to her did she want to watch.

"Either one," she said, a little flustered. "You pick. We could always watch the other one later."

"Are you okay? You seemed a bit distracted there."

"Just thinking about 'stuff'," she said, quoting him.

"Stuff. Of course," he laughed nervously. "Well, movie time!"

"I am just going to the bathroom quickly," she stalled. She knew she had to continue her train of thought and she had to do it right then. "You can start it in the meantime."

"It's okay, I'll wait."

As she made her way down the hall and into the bathroom, her thoughts from earlier bombarded her brain again. Was she happy here? Was being with Tony really making her happier than she had been in almost fifteen years?

In truth, there was not much left for her back in Israel. Her mother passed away when she was ten, Tali died at sixteen and now Ari had joined them. Only her father remained and she did not have any friends. Being a Mossad Officer did not give you enough free time to socialise.

So that left her father. Well, Director David. He was more her boss than he had ever been her father. And looking at the way he had treated her brother, she did not think that she would last much longer.

She did not have any longing in her to return home.

When that thought hit her, she looked up into the bathroom mirror so rapidly that her braid swung from left to right viciously and landed over her right shoulder. She started at it for a few seconds and then brought her hand up to gently run her fingers over the interwoven hair. Looking at her face, she saw her eyes were shining brightly and her mouth was turned up into a little smile after she had looked at the braid.

That was the moment she knew she had to make her decision. She had to decide whether she wanted to stay here in America, preferably with Tony, or return to Israel and fear becoming like her brother.

She silently stepped out of the bathroom door and peered down the hall. She was just able to see Tony sitting on the couch, waiting for her. As she took in his handsome face and his toned body, she knew which way she wanted her decision to go, but she would not allow herself to make it before she knew that she had something to come back to here if she decided to leave Mossad when taking Ari's body over to Israel for burial.

Thus, she was going to have to see how things with Tony turned out. And she was going to have to start seeing that now. No more talking of 'moving slowly' and 'not knowing each other long enough'. She was going to give in to this raging desire she had inside of her to be with him. As she made this resolution, she felt a brilliant smile spread over her face. The butterflies in her stomach turned into an entire zoo as she walked back into the living room and sat down right next to Tony, their bodies lightly grazing each other when they moved.

"There's the smile I want to see!" he said. "What's turned your mood around so quickly?"

"It is nothing, really. Just some 'stuff'. Now play the movie."

"If you say so," he answered suspiciously, but pressed play nonetheless.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: The more I say it, the more it hurts. I do not own them.**

During their movie, Ziva could not help but glance over at Tony every few minutes. She kept wondering how she was going to bridge that gap between them or how she was going to let him know that it is okay for him to do so. She knew he wanted to kiss her, otherwise they would not have been in this situation where she wanted him to kiss her so badly, but he would not because she said he could not. It was all a little confusing, but the point was that she was now very ready to seal her lips to his, but it was not going to happen yet. Something had to give first. And that was probably her. Tony would not kiss her after she had told him not to. He was more honourable than that.

She watched his lips as he mouthed the words to the movie and she had to stop herself from jumping him right there. His lips looked so irresistibly kissable when he spoke.

Deciding that it was time to start sending him some of the right signals, she let her hand that was resting between them gently glide over the front of his arm and slip into his much bigger hand. As she did this, she also let her head drop steadily onto his shoulder. She felt him whipping his head in her direction, but he was only met with the top of hers. She felt herself smile at how wonderful his body felt pressed against hers.

Both of them had lost track long ago of how many times they had snuggled or held hands. They only knew that however many times it was, it was not nearly enough. They wanted more. A lot more.

"You okay?" Tony asked her, not being able to see her face.

"Just great, thank you."

"Are you enjoying the movie?"

"I am," she lied smoothly. In truth, she had paid much more attention to him in the past half an hour and she had no idea what the movie was about. But she could not tell him that. Best not overwhelm the man.

"Liar," he caught her out.

She turned her head to him a little so she could catch his eyes.

"I am enjoying being here, Tony."

"Good," he said.

As they turned their attention back to the television screen, Tony's fingers tightened around Ziva's and his head fell to rest against hers. They sat like that until the movie was finished and even then they did not immediately get up. As Tony had put in a three-hour film, it was starting to get dark outside and the blizzard was blowing in full swing.

"What would you like to do tonight?" he asked her.

"Nothing in particular. Do you have any suggestions?"

He was quiet a while as he thought. Suddenly he jerked up in his seat.

"Let's build a fort!" he exclaimed as he pulled her up and down the hall after him.

Ziva was a little dizzy with the sudden change in elevation, but managed to catch him just before he entered the bedroom.

"Tony wait! What are you talking about?"

"What? You mean you've never build a fort?"

"No…" she answered hesitantly.

"Oh my, this is going to be so exciting! I get to built your very first fort with you! Now, help me gather the things we'll need. You get the pillows and sheets from the bed and I'll grab the extra ones I have in the closet. Take them to the living room and I'll meet you there," he said as he bounded away from her like an excited little boy.

Ziva only shook her head and smiled after him as she neatly pulled all the sheets from his bed and grabbed the pillows under her arm.

When she made it to the living room, Tony had already moved the table away from the middle of the room and brought in the chairs from the kitchen counter. The couch was pulled back a little and moved to stand perfectly square with the television. There was an entire heap of sheets, duvets and pillows laying on the floor next to the couch.

"Here you are, Tony," she said as she deposited the sheets and pillows from the bed next to the other pile. "How can I help?"

"Uhm, I think we should make the bed first before we build the outside, so we don't knock that down later."

"Okay," she agreed.

Tony took the duvets from his heap, folded them up so that they were thick enough to sleep on comfortably. Luckily his living room had a carpet, so they didn't have to sleep entirely on the floor. Next he asked Ziva to help him fold the sheets for them to sleep under, making sure to leave a few for the actual fort. They threw various pillows at the head of their makeshift bed, using the couch as a headboard.

"Now comes the fun part. Building the fort."

Tony showed her how to align the chairs to the couch and television to ensure the sheets did not block their view of the screen. When he was satisfied, he picked up the first sheet and handed her the one end.

"Now we put the sheets over the chairs and the back of the couch to make a tent over the bed," he instructed her.

They worked together well and ten minutes later they had constructed a fort rivalling the best hotel room in Washington DC.

"This looks so cool! What do you think, Ziva?"

"It looks amazing, Tony," she agreed. "I cannot wait to get in, but I think we should go shower first. That way we will not have to get up later," she suggested to him.

"Excellent idea."

"I should probably wash my hair too, but I do not want to take out my braid," she said sounding a bit down.

"I'll make you another one," he promised.

"Really?" she perked up.

"Really. Now go. I'll go after you're done."

"Thank you."

He waited until he heard her closing the bathroom door before he sprang into action to do something a little special for her. With the way the blizzard was sounding, the power will go out before the night is over. He hurriedly gathered the things he would be needing and mad sure to test if it will be working later.

After that he made sure that she would not be able to spot anything different and ruin it before he had shown it to her and sett off to the bedroom.

He felt very excited as he put a clean t-shirt and a pair of boxers on his bed to wear later.

He couldn't wait to show her his surprise.


	27. Chapter 27

**Here you go, trixie111. I really hope it lives up to your expectations.**

**Disclaimer: I asked Santa, but seeing as it is March, I might have to wait some more.**

Ziva stepped out of the bathroom freshly showered and feeling good. She took her blow-dryer out of her bag and started to plug it in when she remembered that Tony wanted to shower as well. She gathered the things she would need and, dressed in shorts and a singlet top again, made her way to the bedroom. She found Tony there.

"Do you mind if I blow-dry my hair in here? I was going to do it in the bathroom, but you want to shower as well and I do not want to hold you up."

"Of course. Wall-socket is over on that wall," he said pointing to the one on the side of the bed she had slept on.

"Thank you."

"I'm going to shower now," he said and with that walked out of the room.

Ziva heard the bathroom door shut and spotted his clothes still laying on the bed. She wanted to take them to him at first, but then she got a much better idea. Looking to make sure that he was not coming back to fetch them yet, she quickly got to work.

A few minutes later she was standing next to the bed, having just finished drying her hair when she heard him coming out of the bathroom again.

"I forgot to take my clo-" he started, but froze mid-sentence when he saw her. "You're wearing my shirt," he stated, dazed by the sight of her.

She put down the blow-dryer and walked over to him, putting a little extra sway in her hips as she approached him. She leaned up onto her toes so that she could reach his ear with her mouth and steadied herself with a hand on his opposite shoulder. This caused her body to once again press into his.

"So I am. They are very comfortable and you seemed to like it the other night. Very much, I might add. Go and have your shower. I will be waiting for you in our bed," she whispered huskily into his ear.

With that she let her hand roam over his chest as she stepped past him and wandered down the hall. It took Tony a minute to catch his breath after she had left and he all but ran into the bathroom to take what was probably the coldest, quickest shower of his life. He had planned on a nice hot one considering that it was snowing outside, but after the sight of her in his shirt combined with her body pressed to his and that husky voice in his ear, he doubted even standing in the blizzard would be able to cool him down.

In the living room, Ziva almost laughed at the way he had sprinted into the bathroom. She knew he was starting to get the message that her ban on kissing had been lifted. She only hoped he planned on using that information soon, because she really wanted him to be the one kissing her and not the other way around.

She settled herself down on top of their bed and waited for him. She was listening to the storm raging outside when she heard the shower turning off. He stepped into the living room a second later, his own hair still wet and causing droplets to fall onto his face. Ziva's breath caught when she saw it, as it made him even more handsome. He just stood at the entrance of their fort, looking at her. His gaze upon her felt strange at first, but a few seconds later made her stomach pool with arousal and want.

"Are you going to join me, Tony?"

He snapped out of his daydream and finally looked up into her eyes.

"Yes, of course. Let me just get us something to drink," he answered and disappeared from her line of view. She could hear him rummaging in the fridge and he soon returned with two glasses. He put them on the end table under the television and turned to insert another movie into the player.

Then, finally, he crawled into their haven and sat down next to her. He pressed play on the remote he had in his hand and reached back onto the couch to put it down. The opening credits played when he turned forward again, but he kept his arm stretched out on the seat of the couch, running along Ziva's back as they sat next to reach other.

After about a quarter of the movie, they had moved to lie down next to each other with Tony holding Ziva tightly to him and running his hand down her arm and through her hair like he had done that morning when they had lain in bed together. Ziva used him as a pillow even though they were surrounded by at least ten of them. She wanted to be close to him, as he to her, and he was more comfortable anyway.

The movie had just reached it's middle when they were suddenly plunged into darkness as the power went out. Ziva jumped at the sudden change in light. but Tony quickly calmed her.

"Looks like the storm finally got to the electricity," he commented.

"So much for watching the movie."

"It's not one of the best ones anyway."

"If you say so. I will go get us some candles and the flashlights," she said and made to get up.

"No, wait. You don't have to do that," he stopped her and pulled her back into his arms.

"It is alright, Tony. I will get up - you do not have to."

"I know you will, but it is not necessary. I have a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" she asked suspiciously.

"Yes. I arranged it while you were in the shower."

Then he made her lie down on her own pillow as he pressed himself up on one of his elbows to reach for something hidden between the couch cushions. He pressed a button and suddenly hundreds of battery operated fairy lights lit up the roof of their fort and gave everything a soft yellow glow.

"Oh my," he heard Ziva gasp as she looked at his creation in wonder.

"Do you like it?" he asked as he leaned over her.

"Yes, it is beautiful. Thank you, Tony," she said as she peeled her eyes away from the lights to look up at him.

Again their faces were barely inches from one another and both of them hoped that this was finally it. Ziva's eyes sparkled, and not only from the lights shining in them, as Tony lifted his hand to trace his fingers across her cheek.

"I wanted to do something special for you," he said, leaning ever closer to her.

"Tony." His name left her mouth in barely a whisper and he could tell that she meant it as her permission.

Then, he closed the space between them and covered her mouth with his in a kiss.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I never thought this story would reach chapter 28, so I have run out of disclaimers.**

When his lips finally, finally touched Ziva's, Tony felt a shift inside his soul. Suddenly it was not gravity holding him to earth, but her. Her heartbeat, her breathing, her smile and her lips that were so very soft under his. Their kiss was gentle, but electrifying like he had never felt before. He felt his heart hammering inside his chest as their lips moved over each other. He never wanted to stop kissing her, because it felt ten times better than holding her in his arms or seeing her smile.

Ziva's world went blank when Tony kissed her. His lips on hers made her feel whole, as if a void she did not know existed inside her had been filled. Her eyes had shut of their own accord and she simply let herself feel. His mouth was warm against hers, his stubble only just scratching her and she found she liked it very much. She had always insisted that her men shave before kissing her, but with Tony it only added to the euphoria. His hand grazing her cheek dipped back to tangle his fingers in her hair as her arms slipped around his neck to pull him closer on top of her. Their chests pressed together and she gasped against his mouth at the contact.

After a few seconds, Tony pulled away a few inches to look into her eyes. She saw the absolute desire and admiration for her in his eyes and she was sure her own was filled with desire as well, because he lowered his head to hers for the second time and she felt her stomach tighten when he kissed her again. This time, his tongue traced her lower lip, begging for entrance to her mouth which she was more than happy to grant him.

When Tony felt her mouth open up to him, he slipped his tongue inside to taste her. They both groaned when their tongues touched the other, their tastes mingling together. He made a thorough examination of the inside of her mouth, before her hands went to the back of his head, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss even more. He lifted his body up from where he was laying next to her to be able to reach her better. He supported himself on his one elbow, while letting his other hand roam from her shoulder down over her side and gripping her hip before travelling to the hot open skin of her thigh.

Feeling his hand touch bare flesh, Ziva groaned and let her own hand slip from around his neck to press against his chest for a second before she wrapped it around his waist and pulled him fully on top of her. As soon as their bodies pressed against the other, they broke the kiss to each release a moan into the air. Ziva's moan went straight to Tony's manhood which was pressed against her stomach and she in turn felt heat rush to her core when she felt him harden against her.

"Ziva," Tony said before attacking her lips with his again.

When their breath ran out, Tony pulled his mouth from hers and latched on to the skin covering her neck.

"Oh, Tony," he heard falling from her mouth between pants as he sucked on her pulse point. His hands roamed her sides while hers were wrapped tightly around his neck, keeping his mouth against her skin. He knew she would have a mark on her for the next few days, but he wanted to claim her, showing the world that she was his.

Ziva barely registered anything other than his hot mouth and his tongue on her neck. He turned his head to the other side then, biting into her skin, making her gasp in surprise, pain and pleasure, before soothing the skin with his tongue. She then pulled his face up to once again seal her mouth with his. He kissed her back with reckless abandon, but worshipping her at the same time.

Their tongues battled for dominance, neither giving in to the other. Ziva pulled back this time to drag her lips across his jaw line. She then let her lips close around his earlobe and she heard him groan when she gently bit into it. She smiled as her mouth travelled downwards again to return the hickey he gave her. She was barely finished sucking on his delicious skin before he crashed his lips to hers again.

Time did not exist in their fort as they kissed each other for minutes on end. Their hands roamed the other, but neither made any motion to move this beyond kissing. Both wanted to desperately, but it was an unspoken agreement that they would not go there yet. They knew what if their kiss was so explosive, their lovemaking would be beyond this world, but they would save that for another time and just enjoy themselves as they were now, wrapped in the other's arms with their mouths sealed together in steaming kisses.

After kissing each other again, they pulled back to look into each other's eyes.

Tony took in Ziva's flushed face and felt her chest rapidly moving while she tried to catch her breath. Her eyes were sparking and her smiling lips were swollen from his kisses. The red marks on her neck were clearly visible even in the dimmed glow of the fairy lights.

Gazing up at his face, Ziva saw a very happy smile stretching across Tony's face above her. He was looking at her with such admiration and awe that she wanted to pull him down to her and kiss him again, but she wanted to savour this sweet moment between them. The fingers of his left hand were tangled in the hair at the base of her neck while his right rested on her left hip. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and she never wanted to take them down again.

"Ziva," Tony finally broke the silence between them. "You're absolutely beautiful."

Her smiled widened and she felt herself blush furiously. "Thank you," she answered shyly.

They gazed into each other's eyes again, looking past walls and into souls.

Not being able to help himself, Tony's mouth descended unto hers again.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: Me no own NCIS, like this sentence no own good grammar.**

Their kisses alternated between sweet, lingering, hot and passionate. Both of them were very happy to just keep it at kissing, and treasured the time they spent in each other's arms underneath Tony's home-made sky of stars.

Pulling back from kissing her yet again, Tony looked into Ziva's eyes and saw nothing but happiness in them.

"I've wanted to do that the moment I saw you standing in that squad room," he told her.

"You do not know how much I wanted you to," she confessed, not the least bit embarrassed.

"Really? Is that why you were slouching so provocatively?"

"I was not slouching provocatively!"

"Oh, you were! I even called you out on it!"

"Okay, maybe I was. But you enjoyed it!"

"I did. Very much," he assured her.

"You were looking very handsome that day."

"'That day'?"

She laughed. "Oh Tony, you are so easy."

"I am not."

"Yes, you are. Remember when you were standing in front of me while I was sitting on McGee's chair and I looked at you?"

"And you told me you imagine women naked."

"Exactly what I mean! You are easy!"

"Okay, maybe I am. But only when it comes to a stunning woman like you."

"And to how many women have you said that?" she asked, wanting to know desperately but also not wanting to know.

Tony's face suddenly turned very serious. He looked right into her eyes as he answered her.

"It's no secret that I have a history with women. I am ashamed to say that I enjoyed having a new woman every week, but I am not that man anymore. You are not just a conquest to me, Ziva."

"I am not?" she asked him again, wanting the confirmation.

"No," he said. "I really, really like you. And I would like to see where we can go. If you are willing to, that is."

"Tony," she said very seriously although she was rejoicing on the inside. "I would not have kissed you back if I were not willing." And to prove her point, she pulled his face back down to hers.

He kissed her back with vigour, his tongue darting out to taste her again.

Deciding to change things up a bit, Ziva tapped into her training and flipped them over without breaking the kiss. Her knees landed on either side of his body, her hot core pressing against his stomach.

Tony then broke the kiss in his astonishment at her move and looked up at her in wonder.

"Willing, you are," he said.

"Are you quoting Yoda at me?"

"What? You know _Star Wars_?!" His face was that of utter surprise. At her nod, he continued, his face stretching into a wide smile. "You are even more stunning than I thought." And he kissed her again.

They eventually fell asleep, Ziva wrapped tightly in Tony's embrace. It was becoming a custom for them. Tony woke in the middle of the night to see that their fairy lights were still shining brightly into the fort. He tried his best to move to turn them off without waking Ziva and happily succeeded. As far as he could gather, it was still snowing outside. This made him smile, as he knew they would get the chance to spend at least a few more days together in his home. Even if the weather cleared up soon, it would take the city workers some time to remove the snow and make the roads drivable again.

It was pitch-black now the lights were turned off, but he could easily imagine the sight of Ziva snuggled into his chest. He didn't know what made her change her mind on their "moving too soon" decision, but he was very happy about what had happened between them a few hours earlier. Kissing her had opened a new world to him and he wanted to thoroughly explore it to every corner.

He smiled at the thought of getting to know everything about her. From the way she took her coffee to what her dreams and ideals were. And he would make her coffee every day while he did his best to help her achieve those goals and ideals. In a different world, it might have been absolutely ridiculous for him to begin planning their future when they have barely had their first kiss, but he knew from their tattoos that they would get to have their future. In a way, the soulmate-bond helped them tremendously, because he did not think that the independent Ziva would have allowed him to become so close to the inner her if they weren't already tied together from the time they were born.

It was a scary thought. They didn't only get tattoos when they turned eighteen, but they were born for each other. Scary, but it made him ecstatic to think about it.

Ziva stirred in his arms and he leaned over to press a kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep, sweetheart. Dream on," he whispered to her in the darkness.

He smiled when he felt her settle down again and press herself even closer to him. It was a bit chilly, so he pulled the duvet that was laying on the side of their bed over them and made sure to tuck it around Ziva's back. It was instantly cosy and he almost wished she were awake to share in this moment with him, but holding her in his arms was enough. Actually, it was better, because she gravitated towards him in her sleep and that made him very happy. Even if the awake Ziva wanted to keep her distance from him in the beginning, her subconscious wanted to be with him. Now he just had to convince the awake one to stay where she was for the rest of their lives.

He was falling for her and he was falling fast. With any other woman, he would've run far away in the other direction, but not with Ziva.

He vowed again to stay with her for the rest of their days. He would love and cherish her. Always.


	30. Chapter 30

**Thank you for your reviews on chapter 29. I know everyone just wants Tony to tell Ziva about them being soulmates, but I'm still getting to that! And trixie111, as you see they have not discussed exactly what they are. Right now they're just enjoying being together. I promise that both of these requests will be answered in the next three or so chapters. I have it planned out, so it will be coming your way soon!**

**Seeing as I left you for 26 chapters without kissing, here you go. Again. They'll have to get lip-transplants after I'm done with them.**

**Disclaimer: This Disclaimer makes absolutely no sense, if it does make sense, you're reading the disclaimer wrong.**

Waking up in Tony's arms was wonderful. She was very relaxed and cosy in their fort and she did not want to move anytime soon. Her bladder, however, had other ideas, so she got up very quietly to use the bathroom. After using the facilities, she stepped up to the sink to wash the sleep from her face. She got a hair band and pushed her hair out of her face to keep it dry. Looking up into the mirror, her arms stilled above her head as her eyes were locked on her neck. Or, more importantly, the two marks adorning her skin. She saw the rest of her skin go red as she thought of how they got there. Tony had made sure to mark her thoroughly, and she approved. She gently touched the bruised skin with her fingers and felt it to be quite tender. They would take some time to fade, but she did not mind in the least.

A smile on her lips, she bent over and splashed water over her face. The cool water felt nice against her flushed skin and she relaxed under it's healing powers.

She then exited the bathroom, checked on Tony and finding him still asleep, went to the kitchen. As the power was still out, she put the pot on the gas stove to boil some water for coffee. After that she took out bowls and their boxes of cereal. She did not feel like cooking something for breakfast that morning.

Typically American, Tony soon walked around the corner when the smell of coffee woke him up. He smiled at Ziva when she pressed a mug into his hand, filled with the delicious drink.

"She's not just a pretty face," he commented after he took a sip. "Your coffee is delicious," he praised her.

They were still standing in front of each other, they gazes locked together. When Tony eventually pulled his eyes from hers to take in the rest of her face, he saw the angry purple marks on her skin and he gasped, filled with guilt instantly.

"God, Ziva. I'm so sorry," he said, raising his fingers to touch the bruises. When the tips of his digits grazed over her neck, she winched a little. His eyes widened immediately, fully taking in that he had hurt her. "I'm sorry, Ziva. I'm so sorry," he apologised again and again.

"Tony," she said, putting her hands on either side of his face to make him look into her eyes. "It is okay."

"No, it's not okay! I hurt you! I didn't think I was leaving such big marks. I'm sorry."

"Tony," she said in a stern voice, which made his snap to attention and really look at her. Her face was smiling, not angry in the least.

"Yes?"

"I do not mind. Really, I do not. In fact…" she trailed off.

"'In fact?'"

"I quite like it," she admitted shyly. His face broke into a smile at her confession. "Besides," she continued, "I already got you back for it," she informed him as she lowered her hand to the mark he was sporting just above the collar of his shirt.

"What? You did?" he asked.

"Yes. Go look in the mirror."

He did so, but he pulled her along after him into the bathroom.

"Oh, you did!" he exclaimed when he saw the hickey she had given him.

They stood there next to each other, their gazes locked on each other in the mirror.

"We match now," he told her, turning to look at her.

A mischievous smile spread across her face as she stepped closer to him.

"Not quite," she said seductively.

He swallowed. "How so?" he asked with a heavy voice.

"I have two marks," she told him. She saw realisation dawn on his face a moment before she crashed her lips to his.

Kissing him felt even better then than it had the previous night. Her senses exploded and she was sure she heard fireworks as their mouths moved against each other. She gently bit his lower lip, asking permission to enter, which he granted instantly.

Kissing her while standing up was great. She was so much shorter than him and he loved the way he towered over her. He had the pleasure of pulling her up by her waist to help her reach better and both of them gasped when their bodies connected yet again. Ziva explored his mouth thoroughly and he was happy to let her have the dominance this time.

Ziva eventually pulled her lips from his, and trailing her hands over his chest, she latched her mouth onto the skin at the base of his neck. She smiled inwardly at the groan Tony released at feeling her lips on his skin. His hands gripped her hips tightly and held her against him as she worked on giving him his second hickey.

When she was satisfied with it, she tilted her head back to look at him. His eyes were dark, filled with desire, a reflection of hers, she was sure. They were both breathing hard, trying to catch their breath. When their want became too much, Tony pulled her head to him and kissed her again. Their tongues battled some more before Tony dipped his head to her neck and very softly kissed each of the marks on her skin. He heard her intake of breath at each kiss. She slipped her arms around his neck and held his head there. He kept kissing the exposed line of her throat as she panted heavily, clearly enjoying his ministrations. He made sure not to leave any more marks for the time being.

Kissing up her jaw, he covered his mouth with hers again for a last kiss before pulling away and resting his forehead against hers.

"Our coffee's getting cold," he said between breaths.

She smiled at him. "So it is. We should probably go drink it."

"We should," he said as they released each other before starting to walk towards the door.

Just before they exited the bathroom, Tony pulled Ziva back by her arm. As she spun around to see why he stopped her, he was standing only inches behind her and her turning around made them again press together.

"Forgot something," he said, before kissing her senselessly again.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I own nearly nothing, not the characters, not the Ziva, not the Tony. I do however, own the plot. The plot is mine! Mine, dammit!**

They did eventually get back to the kitchen and drank their coffee. It had just gone off hot, but neither of them regretted it. They kept throwing glances at each other and smiled when their eyes caught the other. Both of them were happy that they were not ignoring what happened the previous evening. Tony because he was now more certain of their future together and Ziva because she had found her reason to stay. She knew in the back of her mind that making such a life changing decision so quickly was a little crazy, but she was absolutely certain that it was the right one. She had never felt more at home and happy as when Tony held her in his arms and kissed her. And she wanted to feel that way for a long, long time to come.

They passed their morning slowly, each going to take a shower before the water got cold. Ziva said for Tony to go first and she laid in their fort while she waited for him. She smiled again when she thought about how he had gone to the trouble of preparing the fairy lights for her. It was so romantic and sweet of him and it created the perfect scene for their first kiss. She heard the shower turn off and got up to gather her things. Grabbing them from the bedroom, she walked down the hall just as the bathroom door opened and Tony stepped out, freshly showered. He smiled when he saw her.

"All yours," he said. "I left you most of the hot water."

"How considerate of you," she replied.

As she went to walk past him through the doorframe, he caught her by her waist and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. Pulling back, he smiled at her again.

"Enjoy," he said simply, walking into him bedroom.

Ziva stood in the doorframe, stunned for a second, before closing the door behind her and turning the shower on. She took her time, opting to use Tony's body wash, because he smelled absolutely heavenly just now when he had kissed her. She wondered if he would notice, and if so, what his reaction would be.

Stepping out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, she met Tony in his bedroom where he was stretched out on his side of the bed. She almost stopped in her tracks when she had that thought. His side? That meant she had a side. They had their own sides already? Under normal circumstances, this revelation would make Ziva David bolt out the door in under two seconds, but she only put a sway to her hips to amuse him and went about putting her things away.

"Enjoy your shower?" he asked from his spot on the bed.

"I did, thank you."

She joined him on the bed after her things were in their places and they laid there together, staring at the ceiling. A comfortable silence settled over them. Both of them were lost in their thoughts for a while, until Tony decided something had to be said.

"What you thinking about?" he asked her.

"Nothing much," came her quiet answer.

"What kind of nothing?" he probed.

"All kinds," she sighed. She was silent a moment before she continued. "Childhood memories. A year ago. Now. A year from now."

"What were you doing a year ago?"

"Mission in Europe. It was where Jenny and I met."

"Director Shepard."

"Yes."

They were silent again. Ziva was glad he did not ask about a year from now. She was hoping very much that she would be right where she was in that moment. With him. Working at NCIS preferably. But she did not want to tell him that yet. She wanted to secure her position first. And she had to get by her father and resign from Mossad. She knew that she would leave Mossad regardless of getting a position at NCIS – she had enough money saved up to support herself – she just wanted the added security. She did not want to be an assassin anymore. She had seen what the people at NCIS do and she wanted to be a part of it. Solving cases instead of creating them. She shuddered to think about all the families of all the people she had killed who never got the closure of seeing their family member's killer be caught. There was not much she could do about it now – most of the people she had killed were very bad people, thus saving thousands of lives, but still. Now she wanted to help give back.

"You're very deep in thought there," Tony remarked from beside her. She turned on her side and supported her head on her arm.

"Just thinking Tony. I will tell you sometime."

"Very mysterious, Miss Dah-veed," he teased her.

She smiled widely when he lifted his arm in her direction, inviting her to come lie close to him. She scooted over and pressed the front of her body to the side of his, resting her head on his shoulder and her arm over his chest. His arm wrapped around her to hold her while the hand of his other arm came to interlace his fingers through hers on his chest. She felt him pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"This is nice," she said softly, almost shyly. She had never been this affected by a man before and for her to admit such things so freely felt strange, but a nice kind of strange.

"It is," he said against her hair. She then heard him sniffing the air and knew what was coming. "Did you use my soap?" he asked curiously.

"Yes, it smells nice. Do you mind?" she asked, now not so sure about her choice.

"Not in the least. You smell divine."

"You too, Tony."

They shared a small laugh and Ziva smiled when he started playing with her hair again.


	32. Chapter 32

**They get out of the house in this one. Gibbs might be out of character a bit, but so is everyone else.**

**Disclaimer: Aw, bite me.**

The next few days trapped in Tony's apartment flew by them. The power had come back on late the next night and they had passed the time making a good dent in Tony's movie collection. Their fort had stayed up and they opted to sleep there instead of moving back to the bed. The snow had stopped and now they were just waiting for the city workers to clear the roads and make them accessible. Tony had made Ziva his famous, proudly Italian pizza and she had absolutely loved it. A lot of their time had been passed laying in each other's arms and, of course, lots of kissing. They still had not taken the next step towards becoming intimate, but neither of them minded. The right time for that would come.

It took two days for the roads to be drivable again. They were watching the news when the report came on that the people of DC had their mobility back. Both Tony and Ziva mourned the end of their secluded time, but at the same time they were excited to see what this new freedom would bring them.

Tony's face dropped when he thought that he had to attend Kate's funeral. And Ziva had to take Ari's body back to Israel.

"What is the matter, Tony?" Ziva pulled him from his sombre thoughts.

"Thinking about what's going to happen now."

"What do you mean?" she prodded quietly when he did not elaborate. He responded by pulling her into his arms and burying his head in her hair.

"Kate's funeral."

"Oh, Tony. I am sorry."

"It's okay. Thank you. I just… I'm not sure if I can do it."

"You are a strong man, Tony. I know you can."

"Thanks. That actually made me feel better."

They were quiet for a while. Then Ziva spoke up.

"I do not know if I can handle going to Ari's funeral."

"Oh, God, Ziva! I'm so sorry! I didn't think."

"It is okay, Tony. It is not your fault."

"I wish I could go with you," he said as he pulled back to look into her eyes. He cupped her face in his hands and it fit so perfectly in his palms.

"I wish you could too, but I do not think my father would appreciate it."

"No, probably not."

He kissed her then, softly, relaying all his sympathies, but also to let her know that he was there for her. She kissed back, meaning the same things. When they broke away, Tony smiled at her and she could not help but smile back.

"We should probably head into NCIS," she said as she watched his face fall.

"Yeah, probably. Let's go."

He kissed her one more time before they got up. It took them some time to dress appropriately and gather their things. Of course they had to make sure to cover their hickeys properly. Then they were in Tony's Mustang again, holding hands as they drove to the Navy Yard.

Gibbs was already in the office when they got there.

"Morning, boss."

"Gibbs."

"DiNozzo, David," he greeted them back.

"Is Jenny in?" Ziva asked.

"Probably," Gibbs answered her.

"I am just going to visit her," she announced and with that climbed the stairs.

Tony stood standing in front of Gibbs's desk, his eyes following her frame until she disappeared behind the door. Then he turned back to face Gibbs.

"Your office, boss?"

Gibbs's answer was to stand up with his coffee cup and march to the elevator with Tony close on his six. They waited for the doors to open, stepped in and waited for them to close again. After exactly three seconds, Gibbs pulled the emergency switch and the box came to a halt, the bright lights going out and being replaced by the dim ones.

Gibbs, as usual, started the conversation, but this time not yelling at DiNozzo for a change.

"How is she?"

"Better. The first night was absolute hell. And the day after that. But she's better now."

They were silent as Gibbs processed this information. His blue eyes were planted on the young man standing in front of him.

"There something you're not telling me, DiNozzo?"

Tony's head snapped up. "About, boss?" he tried to play innocent.

"Ziva."

He knew the innocent act wouldn't work. He had to tell Gibbs. But the question was whether Gibbs was asking about Ari or whether he was asking about him and Ziva. He decided to go with the latter, because it was not his place to tell Gibbs about Ari. If Ziva wanted him to know, she would tell him herself and in her own time. He took a deep breath and leapt toward a headslap.

"I kissed her, boss." He closed his eyes in preparation for the smack he was about to receive and felt the sting a moment later.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

Now or never.

"She's my soulmate, boss." His eyes closed again, waiting for the slap, but they snapped open when instead he felt a warm hand placed on his shoulder.

"Boss?"

"Well done, DiNozzo."

"Boss? You're not mad?"

"Well, of course I'm mad, DiNozzo! But I'm glad you found her. Look, I may not act like it, but I found my soulmate once and I gotta tell you, it's the best damn feeling in the world."

"It is boss. I haven't told her yet, though."

"What? She doesn't know?"

"No. Her tattoo says 'Hi'. That's the first thing she would hear from thousands of people she meets, so I figure she just ignores it. That was what I first said to her when we met."

"Her first words match yours?"

"Yeah, it does."

"You sure?"

"Yes, boss."

They were silent as Gibbs sipped his coffee.

"You gonna tell her soon?"

"Yes, before she leaves for Israel. I want her to come back. Or I'll go to her. But I have to be with her, boss."

Gibbs nodded, not happy with the probability of losing another agent, but he knew the strength of the bond and he understood Tony's decision. He flipped the switch and the elevator turned back on.

"You treat her well, Tony. And good luck."

"I will. Thank you, boss."

They stood next to each other, waiting for the elevator to return them to the squad room.

"What she say to you?" Gibbs asked just before the doors opened.

"Uh… 'Having phone sex?' "

Gibbs smirked behind his coffee cup and stepped out through the doors when they opened.

"Figures."


	33. Chapter 33

**I know there are probably lots of rules about joining an agency, but this is how I'm doing it. I'm not getting into the legal stuff.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. I have nothing but student loans anyway.**

Upstairs, Ziva knocked on the door to Director Shepard's office and waited for the signal to enter.

"Come in!" she heard Jenny's voice from inside and turned the knob to open the door.

"Ziva!" her friend exclaimed and came around the desk to hug her. They had gotten very close on their mission together. "How are you?"

"I am well, Jen. How are you?"

"Just fine. What brings you here?"

"Am I not allowed to visit a friend?"

"Of course. Come, sit," Jenny invited, gesturing to the comfortable couches in the corner.

"Thank you, but this is actually a rather formal visit. The table would be more appropriate?"

"If you prefer," Jenny answered, curious as to what Ziva wanted to discuss.

"Director Shepard," Ziva began when they were seated. "I would like to request a position at NCIS."

"Ziva?" Jenny asked, obviously shocked. "I'm sorry, Officer David," she corrected herself before continuing. "Am I to assume you want to leave Mossad?"

"Yes. I am going to resign from Mossad upon my return to Israel and I would very much like to join NCIS."

"But… why?"

"That is a rather personal question, Director Shepard."

"Please. Let's just be Jen and Ziva for a moment."

"Very well. I do not want to kill anymore, Jen. I do not want to be under my father's orders anymore. I want to give back."

"I understand," Jenny said, nodding. "Gibbs… Gibbs told me you shot Ari."

Ziva looked down at her hands, hiding her face. Jenny was the only one who knew that Ari was her brother. "Did you tell him?"

"No."

"Thank you."

"It's not my place to tell him who Ari was, Ziva."

"No, I should tell him."

They were quiet as Jenny studied her friend. She couldn't imagine having to shoot her own brother.

"How are you really, Ziva?"

"I am fine."

"I know you're fine, but are you okay?"

This pulled a laugh from Ziva. "Not really, Jen. But I will be. Tony – " She stopped abruptly when she realised that working at NCIS and being with Tony would cause them some trouble. She was pretty sure dating your co-worker was against the rules. She looked up at Jenny, the question in her eyes.

"It is okay, Ziva. Say what you want to say."

"He helped me through that ordeal. He is still helping me. Jen, if he had not found me that night…"

"I know."

"He kissed me, you know," Ziva confessed, blushing slightly.

"He did?" Jenny questioned, a knowing look in her eyes. She had never seen Ziva blush before and for it to happen she knew that whatever was going on between the two of them had to be quite serious.

"Yes." Ziva was quiet for a moment, thinking back to that night. She unconsciously touched her neck and her scarf moved down just enough for Jenny to see the two purple marks it was hiding. "I think I might be starting to feel something for him," she said.

"Apparently the feeling is mutual, judging by those hickeys," Jenny teased her. Ziva's entire face turned bright red and she looked up at her friends face quickly. "It's okay, Ziva. We're friends."

Ziva only chuckled nervously. "So, about that position I asked about…"

"You have my approval, Ziva."

"I do?"

"Of course," Jenny replied with a big smile.

"Thank you, Jen. Thank you so much," Ziva said while smiling. They both stood up, indicating the conversation was over. "I suppose it is bad manners to hug your boss?"

"I'm not your boss yet," Jenny clarified as she stepped forward to hug her friend. As they pulled away, Jen smiled mischievously. "Now you just have to get past Gibbs," she teased.

"Well, I better go then. Thank you, Jen."

"Anytime, Ziva. Just don't let him see those hickeys."

"Yes, Director." And with that she stepped out of the office.

A search for Gibbs was unnecessary as she found him coming out of MTAC just at that moment.

"Gibbs," she called out to him. He simply turned around and waited for her to continue. "May I speak with you?" she asked. She could swear she saw him smirk as he gestured for her to follow him into the elevator.

The usual ritual was followed until the box was dark and Gibbs turned to her in anticipation of their talk.

"Gibbs, there is something I need to tell you."

He saw that whatever was about to fall from her mouth was very serious and he decided to drop the tough guy act.

"Yes, Ziver?" he tried out the nickname. He found he quite liked it and she did not seem to mind.

Ziva took a deep breath in preparation. "Ari was my half-brother." She braced herself for Gibbs's outburst, but watched in shock as he just stood there, looking at her completely stunned.

It took him a moment to process this information and when it finally settled everything clicked into place. He now understood Ziva's actions prior to his death exactly, but he couldn't wrap his head around why she killed her own brother to save him.

"Ziver… why?" was the only words he was able to speak as his blues stared deep into her pools of brown.

"He turned into a bad man, Gibbs. He was not the boy I grew up with."

"Still… You saved me. Why?"

"I had to. If I had not… He would have gone on killing innocent people. I could not let that happen."

"How? You are an assassin yourself. Why would you care?" He had not meant for that to sound so harsh, but he could tell she took it the way he meant it.

"Yes. That is the second reason you are alive and why I asked you here to talk. I do not want to be Mossad anymore. I am going to resign as soon as I get to Israel and have requested a position at NCIS. If you will have me."

Gibbs looked at her for a few moments more. He understood her reasons. He also saw this as a good opportunity to gain an excellent agent and to keep his current Senior Field Agent. Rule Twelve of course forbid relationships between co-workers, but Tony and Ziva were soulmates, so no rule was going to keep them apart. He took a deep breath as he made his decision.

"Yes. It will be good to have you." He could not help but smile back at the giant happy smile that stretched across Ziva's face.

"Thank you, Gibbs. There is one more thing though. Tony and I – "

"I know," he cut her off. "Just keep it out of the office."

"We will. Thank you, Gibbs."

He only smiled and turned the elevator back on. When he knew she least expected it, he slapped her on the back of her head. They both laughed for a few seconds before Gibbs's face turned serious again. The doors opened and before he stepped out, he turned to her again.

"Thank you, Ziver."

She only nodded and left it at that.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: Oh, the things I would do if I owned them…**

Upon exiting the elevator, Ziva saw Tony sitting behind his desk, staring across the space to Kate's desk. She knew how extremely difficult it must be for him to have lost Kate. She knew somewhere deep down he felt guilty for being involved with her killer's sister, but she pushed that thought to the back of her head. She was not responsible for Ari's actions.

Looking around, she saw they were the only ones in the office. Gibbs had rushed up the stairs to Jenny's office and would probably stay there for a while. She snuck up behind Tony without making a sound and placed a kiss just behind his ear. She laughed internally when he jumped about a foot in the air, spinning around and capturing her in his arms.

"Ziva! God, don't do that!" he exclaimed when he saw it was her and not an intruder.

"But it is so much fun," she countered, smiling up at him.

"For you maybe. I could have shot you."

"You are not wearing your weapon," she pointed out.

"True, but still."

"Still," she relented.

"What did you talk to Gibbs about?" he asked her.

"What did _you_ talk to Gibbs about?" she turned the question unto him.

"I'll tell you later," he said, not thinking the bull pen was quite the place for this discussion.

"Then I shall tell you later as well."

"No fair!" he whined.

"Fair has nothing to do with it," she said before reaching up and kissing him. His arms tightened around her waist as he kissed her back, their location completely forgotten. They carried on for another few minutes, neither noticing Gibbs's footsteps down the stairs. They were alerted to his presence a second later when a headslap to both of them made their foreheads smack together.

"OW!" Tony yelled, followed by a curse word in Hebrew coming from Ziva.

"Didn't need to see that, DiNozzo!"

"Sorry, boss."

"Don't apologise."

"Sign of weakness, right."

Gibbs walked around his desk and sat down while Tony and Ziva went to stand in front of him.

"DiNozzo, the funeral in is four days. We're flying there in three. Be here at two in the afternoon."

"Yes, boss," Tony answered solemnly.

"Ziva," Gibbs continued, looking up at her sympathetically. "Transport for Ari has been arranged for the same day. Your plane leaves at eleven in the morning."

"Thank you, Gibbs," she nodded.

"The director has given us this time off. Go home. Pack."

A duet of "Yes, boss!" and "Very well, Gibbs!" was heard before Tony pulled Ziva in the direction of the elevator. They waited in silence for the box to arrive and stepped inside just as silently when the doors opened. It took Tony only two seconds to flip the switch and pin Ziva to the metal wall with his body. His lips were insistent on hers and she kissed back just as hungrily. His hands trailed her sides up and down while hers fisted his hair, desperate to pull him closer.

When they finally broke for air, Tony was the first to speak as they panted against each other.

"That day… when you found me in here… I was thinking about this…" he managed to say between pants.

"So that is why you look so flustered, Agent DiNozzo," she said smiling.

"Yes, Officer Dah-veed. I was having a fantasy about you."

"Good," she said before grabbing his mouth with hers again. He kissed back with vigour, pressing her harder against the wall and smiling against her lips triumphantly when a small moan escaped her mouth.

"Ziva," he said after a while. "We should stop."

"No. I do not want to," she moaned as he kissed down her throat.

"Me neither, but we should get out of the elevator."

"Good point," she conceded.

They pulled away then, after kissing each other again for good measure. They made sure they were presentable before Tony turned the elevator on again. Once inside Tony's car, he took her hand firmly in his, not intending to let go. The ride was silent, both comfortable in their thoughts as they watched the city flash by.

It was starting to get dark by the time they got to the apartment again and they decided to order in now that the roads had been cleared. Chinese it was, considering they had pizza just two nights ago, although Tony argued that one could never get enough pizza. Ziva only laughed and dialled the nearest place that delivered.

Their food arrived half an hour later and they sat in companionable silence as they ate.

Tony was thinking about the best way to approach the soulmate-subject. He knew he had to tell her that night. He couldn't wait any longer. He just had to come up with the right way to do it.

Meanwhile, Ziva was trying to figure out how to tell Tony that she was planning on staying in the States. And working at NCIS on his team on top of that. She was afraid he would run the other way and say it is too much too soon. However, she was never really one for beating around the bush, so she decided to tackle the conversation after they had showered. If he rejected her, she would just go back to a hotel for the remaining nights she had to spend there. If not, if he accepted her, she was planning on wearing something nice underneath his t-shirt. She smiled inwardly at this thought.

They had just finished eating when Tony suggested they hit the shower. She happily obliged, opting to go first. She gathered his shirt and opened the hidden part of her bag to take out her something nice for him.

She sprinted through the shower, washing her hair because she had deducted he likes it curly and crazy.

She walked past him in the hall when he was on his way to the bathroom and pressed a long kiss to his lips. He smiled back at her.

"I will meet you in the living room," she said, wanting to have this conversation in their fort.

"I'll see you there."

He panicked a little in the shower, scared she will reject him, but knew he had to persevere. When he arrived in the living room a few minutes later, he saw her waiting for him underneath the fairy lights. Sitting down next to her, he froze when he heard what she was saying.

"Tony, there is something I need to tell you."


	35. Chapter 35

**Here is the part all of you have been waiting for! I'm breaking it into two parts however – a chapter for Ziva and a chapter for Tony. Hope you enjoy this first instalment. To trixie111 who asked how long this story will be, I plan on doing a chapter or two for Tony and Ziva after they have told each other their "news", a part with Ziva in Israel, (still deciding on Kate's funeral – let me know on that please?) and then a piece for when she is back in America. Five chapters more? Maybe eight? I'll see where it takes me. I might write a sequel if you want.**

**Anyway… On with it!**

**Disclaimer: I thought we discussed this?**

Tony's thoughts ran rampant after Ziva had told him that there was something she needed to tell him. He was terrified for a second, but at least it wasn't those dreaded four words of 'we need to talk'. He relaxed a bit at that. Looking at her face, he saw she was nervous, but there was a small smile playing on her lips and she had hope in her eyes. He tried to convince himself that this would be okay, but didn't manage entirely.

"Okay. Shoot."

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "Why would I shoot you? I do not even have my weapon!"

Tony laughed at her confusion of the English language. She had been speaking it remarkably well, sometimes even better than him, but now he could see she is not a native born speaker.

"No, it means to continue," he informed her.

"Oh. American slang."

"Something like that," he said, glad that the atmosphere of worry around him had been broken down a bit. He just hoped he wasn't setting himself up for disappointment. "You had something to tell me?"

"Yes, I do," she began, taking a deep breath and looking into his eyes very seriously. "First of all, I would like to thank you very much for the past few days. I can honestly say that I do not think I could have made it through this ordeal without your support. You helped me while I was not much more than a stranger to you. Even though I was basically an enemy to you because I was protecting Ari. I would like to apologise for that." She paused, looking down at her lap and finding the seam of his t-shirt very interesting for a second. She was glad Tony stayed quiet too, as she was not sure she would be able to continue had he spoken. She looked back up into his eyes before she went on. "I cannot even begin to imagine how you must have felt towards me because of it. I truly believed in his innocence, but now I know better. So thank you, Tony. Thank you for caring for me, for finding me that night in the rain. Thank you for providing a place to stay and for comforting me when I needed someone to tell me that everything was going to be okay eventually."

Her heartfelt speech had almost driven Tony to tears, even if he would never admit to it. It took him a second to gather his thoughts before he could speak, which caused Ziva's nerves to go crazy, but when he spoke, she relaxed at his gentle tone.

"Ziva, it was my absolute pleasure to do all those things for you. I did not mind in the least. You are a beautiful, wonderful woman, even if I did not see it in the beginning. We all wear masks, and we all have our reasons for keeping them on. I do not judge you for protecting your brother – you did what you thought was right and I cannot condemn you for that." She smiled when he told her that and he lifted his hand to stroke her cheek. She leaned into his palm and urged him to continue. "These past few days have been some of the best I have had in my life. You made me smile more than I have in a long time. I thank you for that."

He then leaned in and captured her lips with his. He kept the kiss short, because he knew they still had some things to talk about. She smiled when they broke away from each other. Then, she got right to the point of the conversation.

"I spoke with Gibbs today," she paused to take a deep breath again. "And with Director Shepard. I do not want to go back to Mossad – not after what happened with Ari. I do not think that I will be able to trust my father again when he sends me out on a mission. It is time for me to break away and go in my own direction. Tony," she waited a beat to make sure she had his absolute attention. "I want to stay in America." She paused again to gauge his reaction. His face stayed blank, so she continued. "I have requested a position at NCIS and both Jenny and Gibbs have given their permission. Now, I want to ask yours."

Tony was silent for a moment before he answered her. He wanted to make sure he understood her correctly before he began to hope for their future.

"You want to stay in America?"

"Yes."

"At NCIS?"

"Yes."

"On our team?"

"Yes, Tony," she answered, getting very nervous because he did not give any indication as to his thoughts about her decision.

Tony looked into her eyes a second more before his face broke into a radiant smile. The next thing she knew, she was thrown back onto their bed of pillows and kissed passionately. Her hands automatically wrapped around Tony's cheeks as she kissed him back. She had to make sure she read his reaction right though, so after a moment or two she pulled back to look into his eyes. Tony beat her to speaking, however.

"Oh, Ziva!" he exclaimed. "You're staying!"

"I take it you approve?" she asked smiling brightly.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" he answered her, planting kisses all over her face – on her forehead, her brow, her eyelids, each cheek and finally again on her mouth. "I'm so happy, Ziva. But I have to ask something."

"Shoot," she quoted him.

He smiled at that, but his face turned serious again at his question.

"Where do I fit into this plan of yours to live the American Dream?"

"I want to be with you, Tony. I want to see where we can go."

"And Gibbs? You know romance between agents is forbidden."

"He knows. And he gave his permission," she assured him, though he knew that already, even if she was not aware of that fact, but she soon will be.

"So you want to continue this. Us?"

"Yes. I would like to do that very much."

"I'm glad, because now there is something I need to tell you."


	36. Chapter 36

**This is my longest chapter yet! Only fitting, I think, since it is the most important one of the story. I hope it lives up to your expectations.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own NCIS. And I do not own these characters either. I may own an awesome boat if Gibbs ever paints my name on one.**

It was now or never. He was going to tell her she was his soulmate. He had been very nervous that she would reject him, go back to Israel and refuse to ever see him again, but after what she had just told him, he was pretty sure that she would accept him. This filled him with so much joy that he couldn't stop smiling and bent down to kiss her again. They were going to be together and he was going to do everything in his power to make her happy for the rest of their days. He broke the kiss after a few seconds, not wanting to get carried away before he had a chance to tell her.

He looked into her eyes and he saw joy, glad that he had taken her decision to stay so well. He also saw some nervousness, anticipation for what he had to tell her.

"Ziva, there is something I need to tell you."

"So you said. What is it, Tony?"

He took a deep breath then. He had to prepare himself to spill his heart out. This was something new for him – he had never before let anyone see so deep inside his soul as he was about to let Ziva see. Even though he was nervous about that, he wasn't scared in the least. She was his soulmate and he didn't want to hide anything from her. Then, he opened himself up for her.

"Well, firstly I want to say again that being with you these past few days have been amazing. Ziva, You are so beautiful. Your hair, your eyes, your lips that I want to kiss every time I see you. When you walk with that confident air about you, I don't think I have ever seen anything sexier. I don't mean that in a degrading way at all, I'm just captivated by your beauty. Then I haven't even started on how beautiful you are on the inside. Your kindness, your compassion, your intellect. You are everything I have ever wanted in a woman and have not been able to find anywhere else. You bring out the best in me, the true Tony that I don't let anyone see. I feel safe around you, and not just because you are one crazy Israeli ninja chick with an obsession with knives," they both laughed a little at that.

Al through his speech Ziva had stayed silent, taking in what he was saying and storing it away to think about later again. She felt herself blush when he complimented her so freely and she was not in the least shy about the fact that he saw her face redden.

"You really mean all that about me, Tony?" she questioned.

"That doesn't even scratch the surface," he assured her. "I can't even begin to tell you how happy it makes me that you want to stay here. Not just in America, but with me. Right here. Together. I am so grateful for this chance to be with you," he said as he leaned in to kiss her again.

It was a happy kiss, a shared joy of knowing they felt the same way about this relationship they are about to embark on. He deepened the kiss this time, tilting her head back to give him a better angle and tracing her bottom lip lightly with him tongue, seeking entrance. She granted it, opening her mouth to let him taste her. She moaned when his tongue came into contact with hers, starting to duel for supremacy, with she allowed him to have this time. Not having enough contact with him, she slid forward, into his lap. Their chests brushed against each other, eliciting a groan from Tony which she eagerly swallowed.

Tony's hands roamed down her sides, gripping her hips for a second before caressing her back. Her hands in turn travelled down his chest, feeling every muscle move under her fingertips as she touched them. She gasped right into his mouth when his hands lightly cupped her backside before returning once again to her hips. Pressing herself to him even more, could feel his want for her straining against his boxers, and she almost had her way with him right then. She kept her cool however – in that action at least – and decided to let him lead things. She had always been the dominant one in her sexual life, but with Tony she wanted him to be in control. This sent a thrill down her spine and she knew Tony felt it, because he smiled against her mouth.

He knew they were going a bit too far to stop and have the rest of their conversation, but damn he couldn't resist her. She was so unbelievably sexy in his arms and he wanted more. More of this. More of her. More of _them_. He had to break their kiss in a desperate need for air, but immediately his mouth descended to kiss the line of her jaw and then down her neck. When he got to her pulse point, he let his tongue dart out to taste her skin and he heard the sexiest sound he had ever heard fall from her mouth in the shape of his name.

He was doing things to her that she had never before experienced so intensely and they weren't even naked yet. Having that thought, she decided to only be controlling in one more manoeuvre and put her hands on the seam of the t-shirt he was wearing and began pushing it up his torso, letting her fingers glide over the smooth skin of his stomach.

Alarm bells went off in Tony's head when he felt her starting to take off his t-shirt, but then he realised that it had to come off anyway if he was going to tell her about their bond. And it was much better having her taking it off than doing it himself. He cursed the two seconds it took to pull his arms and head out of the fabric because it meant two seconds of not being able to kiss her or to touch her. As soon as he was free, his lips crashed back onto hers as her hands finally had the chance to run over his naked chest like she had been fantasising of doing since she first saw him. Her hands on his skin was like fire and made both of them ache for more, but he had to tell her before anything else happened. He would never forgive himself otherwise.

He began to slow the kiss down then, much to Ziva's disapproval. His lips lingered on hers for a few seconds more before he pulled back and looked at her. He was sure he had never seen anything more beautiful than the sight of her before him. Her lips were red and swollen from his kisses, her face flushed and she was breathing hard against his chest. Seeing her like that almost made him kiss her again, but he luckily caught himself in time.

"You are staring, Tony," she whispered huskily.

"I'm admiring," he corrected. He saw her blush at that. "There is still something I need to tell you."

"Okay," she answered, giving him her full attention.

"Do you remember the day we met?"

"Of course."

"Do you remember the first thing you said to me?"

She smiled then, still oblivious to where he was going with this conversation. "I asked whether you were having phone sex."

"You did." He took her hand which was still rested on his chest then and moved it until it was pressed under his right arm, over his ribcage, where her words were inked into his skin. "And my first word to you was 'Hi'."

He saw realisation dawn on her then, her eyes widened and her lips parted a fraction. She stopped breathing and couldn't tear her eyes away from his. He waited with baited breath for her reaction on this dramatic revelation that in her mind changed their relationship entirely. When she finally got her muscles to move again, her head dipped down to where his hand was pressed over hers on his skin, presumably to see his tattoo for herself. She moved back off his lap a little to be able to see and then moved their hands away to reveal what was hidden underneath.

Her breath caught again when she saw those three words written perfectly on his tanned skin. Her mind flashed back to that day in the bull pen when they had met and now she understood his reaction toward her. She had a fleeting thought as to why he did not tell her before now, but pushed that to the back of her mind as she took in the reality of the situation. She became aware of his hand resting on her left hip then, his thumb tracing light circles over the place where her tattoo was. She now also understood his fascination with her hips when they kissed, because he always touched them. Now she knew that he was actually touching her tattoo because it represented that they were tied together for eternity.

She finally had the courage to look up at him. Gazing deep into his eyes she saw fear, hope and all of his romantic feelings for her laid open. He wanted her. He had let her into his soul.

While her left hand still rested on his ribcage, she lifted her right up to cup his cheek.

"It is you," she said. "It is really you."


	37. Chapter 37

**Some very adult content here. You have been warned. (I do not have much experience at writing this, so please forgive if it is not as good as you'd like it to be.)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it… yet…**

He was pretty sure that when she looked into his eyes with the full knowledge that they were bonded together for life was the most incredible moment he had ever experienced. Her eyes were open wide, her soul laid bare in front of him and he knew he had her then. It was done. Her angelic voice broke through to him once more.

"It is really you," she repeated. Tears brimmed in her eyes and he was pretty sure they mirrored his own. A single drop spilled over the edge and traced a perfect line down her cheek. He quickly bent down and stopped it with his lips, tasting the salt on her skin.

"Ziva, sweetheart, why are you crying?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, Tony, I am just so happy! I never thought I would find my soulmate. You know, being in Mossad there was a very real possibility that I would die before I ever got to meet him. If he was from Israel, he could have died. So I never gave it much thought, but I have always had that longing to meet him. And now that I have…" she trailed off. "I just never thought it would happen," she finished.

"It happened, Ziva. I'm here. We are soulmates. And I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy, if you'll have me."

"I will have you, Tony. I will have you in a million lifetimes."

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew she was behaving completely out of character by being so open to him, but she was just so happy! She had found the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with and she would not have it any other way.

With that, she leaned up to kiss him again.

This first kiss, now knowing she was kissing her soulmate, was magical. Not only because they were in their fort again, with the fairy lights shining softly around them like stars, but because she knew deep inside her that this was right. She was exactly where she was supposed to be and she did not plan on moving any time soon.

Tony was absolutely overjoyed with the events that had just taken place. He wrapped his arms around Ziva and pulled her once again closer to his chest, while responding vigorously to her kiss. They both groaned feeling their chests press together and it was even more intense without Tony having a shirt on. She was the one to deepen it this time by asking entrance into his mouth and he gladly let her.

They continued kissing, exploring each other's mouths again until the need for air became too much and they had to break away. Pulling back, they looked deeply into the other's eyes seeing the love they felt but had not yet expressed. Next to that love was burning desire struggling to break free, yet winning that battle almost instantly. Their mouths crashed together again, both emitting moans at the contact.

Ziva's hands travelled up Tony's chest and buried into his hair as his roamed down her sides, squeezing her hips and then falling down to her exposed thighs. Feeling his hands on her bare skin sent a jolt of electricity though both of them and caused want to pool in her stomach. He teased her for a minute, playing with the seam of his t-shirt she was wearing before ever so slowly starting to run his hands upward towards her hips, taking the material with him. He kept his mouth fused to hers while he did this, not wanting to tempt himself into looking prematurely and ruining the moment he saw her for the first time. He smiled into her mouth when he encountered a strip of cotton-covered lace running over her hips and dared to believe she put it on just for him.

He kept exploring her skin upwards, his fingers dipping into her waist, feeling her muscles contract as he skimmed his fingers over her abdomen. He felt her sudden intake if breath when his hands moved hotly over her ribcage, stroking the band of her bra. He decided to move them then, gently pushing her backwards until she laid down flat on her back, his knees holding him up either side of her left leg, his left knee only inches from her core. He could almost feel the heat she was emitting.

They were still kissing intensely up to this point, put Tony gently removed his mouth from hers and opened his eyes. He kept his gaze locked on her face and couldn't help but smile at the look of pure bliss he saw there.

"Ziva, look at me," he whispered.

She opened her eyes then, those gorgeous brown globes, and he felt himself freefalling into everything that was her. His shirt was pushed up to under her armpits now, and he wanted it off. He gently made a motion to push it up further and she reluctantly loosened her fingers from his hair to allow him to slide it off her arms. He quickly pulled it off and threw it somewhere in the direction of the entrance of the fort, not really caring where it went.

His eyes were still glued to hers and from the corner of his eyes he could see she had left her arms resting above her head, but he didn't look anywhere else.

"You are so beautiful," he told her.

She smiled before replying. "Tony, you have not even looked at me yet."

"I don't need to look to know you're beautiful."

He sat back on his heels, pushing away from her. Ever so slowly, he broke eye contact and started roaming her frame with his eyes. He took in her slender arms resting so sexily above her head, her hair laying wild over their bed. He followed her arms down to over her collarbone and finally drew his eyes over her body. He took in the mounds of her breasts, seeing them rise and fall with every breath she drew. Then her toned stomach, a faint scar running along the side, but to him it only made her more beautiful, as he knew she was a tough woman who could endure anything. His eyes spotted her hips then, her tattoo visible just above the strip of fabric hiding her modesty a little.

She was wearing a set of pale yellow. He never was one for yellow, but seeing it against her olive skin, he changed his mind. It fit her perfectly, the colour bringing out the tone of her skin. The set was not too revealing because it was cotton, but inviting with the delicate lace covering it.

He looked up into her face and immediately bent down to capture her mouth in a kiss again. She moaned when his hands fell to her waist, tracing hot patterns over her bare skin and leaving trails of burning goose bumps wherever his fingers went. She felt her nipples strain against her bra and wanted desperately for Tony to just hurry up and take it off. As if reading her mind, his hands came up and covered her breasts over the material, squeezing slightly to draw another moan from her. Her back arched when he tweaked a nipple through her bra and he took the opportunity to slide his other hand around her back and unhook it. She felt the elastic loosen and gave a sigh of pleasure into his mouth.

He broke their kiss, kissing his way over her jaw and down her throat as she panted beneath him. She was only vaguely aware of her bra being taken off of her arms above her head, as at that moment Tony's hot mouth descended to one of her peaks.

"Oh, Tony!" she cried when she felt his tongue swirling around her and a moment later his teeth scraping over her flesh. His other hand was paying attention to her other nipple, pulling and squeezing it.

Wanting infinitely more of her, he moved downwards with his mouth, trailing kisses over her stomach to her left hip. Arriving there, he looked up to her, finding her eyes already on him. Keeping their gaze fixed, he planted a kiss right over her tattoo. Her back arched at the action and he thought he had never seen anything sexier.

It was time to move things forward and with that thought in mind he brought his hands up to rest on her hips, his fingers tracing the edges of her panties. He looked up at her again, seeing the want in her eyes and knowing this was what they both wanted. Hooking two fingers into the cotton, he started pulling the garment down, urging her to lift her hips, which she did. He took it off completely, running his hands over the smooth skin of her legs as he did so. Pulling it free from her feet, he looked down to her ankles. His eyes moved over her legs, admiring every inch of them, over her shins, her knees, her thighs and then focusing on her centre.

There he saw her glistening with arousal, which sent blood flowing right to his boxers that were already much too tight.

He couldn't resist her anymore, so he all but dived forward and covered her body with his. He let out a guttural groan at the feeling of her breasts scraping against his chest and she moaned in appreciation of his hardness pressing into her stomach.

He kept kissing her while one of his hands travelled down between their bodies. Reaching its destination, Ziva moaned into his mouth when he covered her mound with his hand. He started exploring, feeling her bundle of nerves stand out proudly and giving it a flick before moving on. He parted her folds and growled when he felt how wet she was for him. His fingers found her opening and her entire body was screaming at him to enter her.

However, he decided he wanted to see her face when he did, so he pulled back from the kiss and once again asked her to look at him. She did, her eyes almost black with need.

He pushed a single digit into her then. Her eyes closed in pleasure and she let out a low moan. He certainly did not regret making her look at him, because her face was now engrained into his memory.

He started moving his finger, slowing thrusting it in and out and sending Ziva into the throes of pleasure. She squirmed beneath him, moaning when he curled his finger inside her. He added a second one, watching as her eyes opened in surprised pleasure. She was so wet he had no problem adding a third one to the mix. She moaned loudly at that, but after a few thrusts gripped his wrist and pulled his fingers from her.

He looked at her in confusion, silently asking why she made him stop.

"I do not want to come yet, Tony. I want it to be with you in me. I want to come with you, please," she begged, panting hard.

He understood, kissing her lovingly before moving backwards to remove his boxers. When he did, his engorged member sprang up, laying heavily on his stomach. He saw Ziva's eyes widen, understanding why he had used three fingers to prepare her.

He laid back over her, his length resting between her thighs and it was all he could do not to thrust into her immediately.

"You are my soulmate Ziva. You are the last woman I ever want to do this with. I will love you and cherish you until the day I die," he vowed.

"I want to be with you, Tony. For a long time to come."

Then he slowly pushed forward, feeling the head of his hardness pressing against her slit and sliding beyond. A groan came from deep inside him as he felt her wetness covering the tip of him. He kissed her, while at the same moment thrusting slowly deeper into her. They both moaned when he filled her to the hilt. He gave her a few seconds to adjust before pulling out slightly. When he pushed back in, Ziva let loose a scream that almost made him explode.

He made love to her slowly even though they both wanted more, harder, faster, but there would be a time for that. Right now they were sealing their soulmate bond, giving themselves over to the other completely.

"Tony," she moaned. "Please, do not stop!"

He kept his strokes even, feeling her muscles contract when he found that sweet spot inside her.

"Ziva…"

"Tony!" she answered him and he knew she was close, but so was he. He only needed to hold on for her.

That was when it happened. He felt her entire body spasm beneath him as if being hit by lightning. Her release triggered his own as he felt himself exploding inside her while she moaned. He kept on thrusting a few more times to prolong their pleasure, but eventually all his muscles went slack as he collapsed on top of her, his member still pulsing deep inside her while her inner muscles milked every last drop from him.

They were both breathing heavily and Tony was afraid to crush her and moved to get off, but her arms held him on top of her.

They laid there for a long time, basking in their euphoria.

Finally Tony lifted his head and lazily kissed her. He rolled off of her and immediately pulled her right up to him, wrapping his arms around her and tangling their legs together.

She looked up at him sleepily as he pulled one of the sheets over them.

"Thank you, Tony. For everything," she said, placing a sweet kiss to his lips, which he returned.

"Sleep now, my Ziva. _Laila tov_."


	38. Chapter 38

**Disclaimer: No. Nada. Nope.**

Tony and Ziva made love many more times those three days they had together. They laid in their fort most of the time, sharing memories, telling secrets and getting to know each other better. The third day rested heavily on both their minds, but neither wanted to talk about it and ruin they happy mood that hung around them.

Eventually their bliss was interrupted when Ziva's alarm went off on the morning she was supposed to return to Israel and Tony was to fly out for Kate's funeral. Ziva cried when they came together that morning. It was very unusual for her, but for the first time in her life she feared going home. She was afraid of what her father would say about her being with Tony and wanting to resign from Mossad. She imagined he would be very angry and she wished she could have Tony there to support her.

For Tony it was heart wrenching to see Ziva's face wet with tears as he worshipped her body for the last time before they had to separate. It was very difficult for him as well to know that his soulmate will be halfway around the world, attending the funeral of her brother – whom she killed – and facing her Director and her father. He longed to go with her as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear while wiping at her tears with his fingers and occasionally his lips.

It near-well killed both of them when Tony dropped Ziva off at the airport at ten. He was glad they didn't have to witness Ari's body being loaded unto the aircraft, but knew Ziva would constantly be thinking about being on the same plane as him.

When the announcement came that she had to board her flight to Tel Aviv, his heart fell right down and landed beneath his feet. He turned to Ziva and took her in his arms, not caring if anyone saw.

"I will miss you, Zi," he said, trying to sound brave for her when in reality he felt as if half his heart was being taken away from him. He heard her sob into his neck and what was left of his heart broke into tiny little pieces.

"I do not know if I can do this, Tony," she confessed, her voice muffled by his jacket and the lump in her throat.

"I know you can, sweetheart. You are a strong woman. You're my crazy Israeli ninja chick," he laughed. His spirits lifted a bit when he heard her chuckle.

She looked up at him, tears still evident in her eyes. He used his thumb to wipe them away before they could fall.

"I have had the most wonderful couple of days with you, Tony. Thank you so much for everything."

"Anything for you Ziva."

He dipped his head down to kiss her goodbye and she responded with vigour. Savouring the last few moments he could hold her in his arms, he pulled her closer to him. Eventually they had to separate though and he did so reluctantly.

"Come back to me, Ziva," he pleaded.

"I will. I promise."

"Good luck," he wished, stroking her cheek.

"Thank you, Tony. For you too." They stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds more before the final boarding call came. "I have to go now."

"I know. Be safe."

"I always am," she assured him.

He kissed her longingly one last time before letting her go.

"Goodbye, sweetheart."

"_Shalom_, Tony."

He watched with a heavy heart as she boarded the plane that will take her away from him and prayed that she would return to him safely. Then he turned from the terminal and made his way to NCIS to catch his own plane.

Meanwhile Ziva sat in her seat, watching as the ground disappeared from beneath the plane and all she could see was miles and miles of ocean. She was on her way to face her father. This thought scared her a little, so she decided to get some sleep before then. She closed her eyes and dreamed of her time with Tony.

A few hours later, she was woken when the plane started to descend. She was surprised that she had slept through the entire flight, but she was also glad of the rest in had given her. Tony had been insatiable the previous night, so they did not get much sleep.

Climbing off the plane, she saw the Mossad vehicles parked at the terminal. She watched this time as the casket holding Ari's remains was unloaded and driven off to Mossad Headquarters. Squaring her shoulders, she climbed into her assigned car and followed.

Being the Director's daughter had its perks when wanting a meeting with him. Arriving at the building, she was immediately escorted to his office, asked to only wait a few moments as he was finishing a meeting.

She had barely sat down in the waiting room when the door to his office opened and his guests stepped out. She did not recognise them, so she only smiled politely as she waited for permission to enter. When it was finally granted, she took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Hello, _abba_," she greeted him.

"Ziva, please come in!" he said as he stood to kiss her on both cheeks and hug her lightly.

"How have you been?" she asked, hoping to keep this conversation civil.

"As always, busy. How was America?"

"You know very well," she stated bluntly.

"Yes. It is a tragedy about Ari, of course. But he turned to Hamas, so he only got what he deserved."

Ziva felt anger flare in her core, outraged that her father could be so off-handed about his own son's death. She saw in her mind's eye however a vision of Tony smiling at her and she took a deep breath to calm herself.

"Very well. I do not wish to talk about this." She knew Gibbs's report said that he had shot Ari and not her, so she did not want to take the chance of her father finding out the truth and probably kill her, so she decided to get right down to what she wanted to tell him. "_Abba_, there is something I have to tell you."

"Yes, what is it?" he asked absentmindedly as he looked at some paperwork on his desk.

"I want to resign from Mossad." She saw him freeze and waited for the worst. He looked up at her slowly, his eyes blank.

"No," he said icily.

"This is not a request, _abba_. I will go whether you approve of not."

"What has gotten into you, Ziva? Mossad is your home!" he burst out.

"No, it is not! I do not want to kill anymore! I refuse!" she kept her stand.

"What has brought this on?"

"I found my soulmate," she said as she saw him freeze for the second time. She was surprised to see his eyes soften a millimetre.

"You found him?"

"Yes, _abba_."

"Oh, my dear child. I am so happy for you," he said as he came to embrace her. "Now tell me, who is this man that has captured your soul?"

He released her from his arms then and sat back in his chair. She was surprised at his sudden change of mood, but decided to go with it.

"His name is Anthony DiNozzo."

"He is not Jewish?!" Eli burst out again, startling her in her seat.

"No," she confirmed.

"Why, Ziva?! Why would you do this?!"

"_Abba_! I could not control it! You know how the soulmate-bond works!"

"Yes," he conceded as he deflated a little. "I am sorry. It was only unexpected."

"It was for me too. I never expected this to happen. But it has. And I am going back to America to be with him."

"I understand, Ziva. You have my blessing."

"I do?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, my dear. I remember the moment I found my soulmate in your _ima_. It is the most wonderful thing in the world and I know it is absolute torture to be separated from that person. So go. Pack up your house and have everything shipped over. Be with him."

Ziva sat on the chair, shocked at how her father's mood seemed to change every few seconds, but grateful nonetheless that she had gotten her wish.

"Thank you, _abba_. Thank you very much," she said as she went to embrace him this time.

"I am not happy to be losing you, my daughter. But I know you must go to be happy."

"I will be back one day. And I will bring him with me so that you can meet him."

"I would like that."

With that their meeting came to a close and Ziva left his office in high spirits. Arriving at her house, she was excited to pack everything, but very surprised when she only came up with a few boxes of personal items. A sad look came over her face as she realised that she had never made her house into a home, but she looked forward to doing that in America.


	39. Chapter 39

**Kate's funeral. **

**To be quite honest, I cried when I watched it. Several times. She was a great character and everyone who only watched NCIS because Cote de Pablo was in it, you missed out on two great seasons before she came along. Don't get me wrong, I love Ziva waaaaaaaaay more than I did Kate and I'm very sad that she's gone, but still.**

**I hope I can do it justice.**

**Disclaimer: What will happen if I create a disclaimer for my disclaimer? Would that disclaim what my disclaimer is disclaiming and make them mine?**

The mood on the plane to Kate's funeral was sombre.

The Director had claimed the front of the plane as her office while the rest of them were cramped in the back. Abby's eyes were already puffy from crying against McGee's shoulder, who only held her awkwardly. Gibbs was as stoic as ever, not uttering a single word the entire flight there while Ducky tried, to no avail, to cheer them all up a little with some story from his youth that nobody was paying any attention to.

And him?

He was sitting there, feeling guilty, because at the moment he was feeling Ziva's loss more acutely than Kate's. He had only said goodbye to her a few hours ago and already he was missing her terribly. He wished she could be with him, curled up in his lap as they flew across the country, but he knew she didn't belong there yet. The rest of the team had yet to find out that they were soulmates. McGee probably suspected something after he saw them holding hands when they came to fetch Tony's car, but Tony knew the Probie wouldn't say anything.

He was a little worried about Abby's reaction to Ziva when she hears that she will be filling Kate's spot on the team. He knew she wouldn't accept the Israeli Officer without a fight, because she would feel that Ziva was going to try and replace Kate even if it wasn't her intention. Well, he could only hope that she would cut them some slack because of the soulmate-bond.

Ducky he wasn't worried about much. Sure, the old man had a deep soft spot for Kate, but at his age he would understand that the soulmate-bond cannot be fought. At least he would accept Ziva as a team member and Tony's soulmate, even if he chose not to like her.

The Director wouldn't be a problem, as she didn't know Kate and she and Ziva are supposedly such big buddies. He would have to get permission to date a co-worker though, but he was positive she would allow it. And if she didn't Gibbs would hopefully be willing to convince her.

McGee already suspects something and Gibbs already knows, so there he was okay. Truth be told, he was very surprised at Gibbs's acceptance of the whole situation and couldn't believe his ears, but he decided to just accept it and he happy about it.

Now he just had to get past the dreaded funeral, the next few days alone and then he'd have Ziva back in his arms where she belongs. He smiled at the thought, which made Abby glance at him strangely. He only kept smiling at her, albeit a bit sadly, but eventually she went back to burying her face in McGee's shoulder.

When they finally landed, they had a silent drive to the hotel where they were supposed to stay. They checked in and everyone went to their separate rooms for the evening. Tony found it hard to fall asleep in an empty bed and contemplated calling Ziva, but realising it was three in the morning in Israel, he decided against it.

Waking the next morning to a call from the front desk, he groaned when he had to get up after only getting at most four hours of sleep. He dragged himself downstairs to meet the others for breakfast and found them in mostly the same state as himself, all with dark circles under their eyes. All of course except Gibbs, who was used to sleep deprivation.

After breakfast they all donned their back clothes out of respect for Kate and made their way to the church.

The service was nice, befitting of an Agent who gave her life to the job and someone as wonderful as Kate.

Abby was crying on Gibbs's shoulder today. The rest of them were only sitting there silently, saying their goodbyes and their prayers.

As they made it to Kate's grave, her final resting place, they all lined up to pay their last respects.

He was the first to lay a blood red rose on her coffin. As he bent down, he remembered the time he brushed his teeth while she was in the shower. He smiled when he thought of how angry she was when she found out he was in the bathroom with her. That sponge she threw at him had hurt more than he wanted to admit, but being Tony he had shrugged it off.

He watched as after him first Ducky, then McGee and Abby went to lay down their roses, each taking a second to remember their friend. After them came the Director and finally Gibbs.

They all stood silently as the leader of their team looked down at the beautifully crafted wooden box. Gibbs stood silent for a moment, clutching the rose tightly in his hand while he most probably remembered their fallen teammate. He smiled then, a rare occurrence for him. They saw his lips move as he placed the flower down on top of theirs, but none of them could hear the words he uttered.

Tony listened as Abby asked a woman who was presumably Kate's mother if she could play a song for Kate and the woman said yes.

Their spirits lifted somewhat as the tape player in Abby's hands started singing a happy jazz tune that made you want to tap your feet to the rhythm.

In front of him walked Gibbs, flanked by the Director and their Goth while he followed with Ducky and McGee.

He had said his goodbyes to the woman he once thought he might be beginning to love, but knew he never would. And now he was going home to wait for the arrival of the one he did.


	40. Chapter 40

**I borrowed a line from Season 5, Episode 8. Even though I twisted it somewhat, I just had to end it this way.**

**Disclaimer:** **I own it… Wait! Who set my pants on fire? **

The next few days were hard on both Tony and Ziva. Being separated from your soulmate by hundreds of miles of Atlantic Ocean was difficult, Tony thought. Then having to attend the funeral of your fallen partner who was killed by your soulmate's brother, who was killed by his sister who is your soulmate and is replacing your fallen partner after she attends the funeral of her brother whom she shot to save the life of a stranger who is to be her boss… They were one messed up group of people. Even saying it like that barely made sense.

The flight back to DC was better than the one leaving the city. Abby's jazz tune after the funeral had lifted everyone's spirits a little. He had spoken to Ziva the previous night, though it was three pm in Israel, and she was flying back the next day. They had shared a laugh when he jokingly asked whether she wanted to have phone sex. They had spoken on the phone for almost two hours and they never ran out of conversation. She had basically made him hang up in order for him to get enough sleep to catch their early flight back. And he couldn't wait for hers to land. They had agreed for him to pick her up at the airport and she would stay with him until she had found an apartment of her own and her things had been shipped from Israel. What she didn't know, was that he planned to keep her at his place as long as he could and then convince her to just move in with him as they were headed in that direction anyway.

He was very excited to have her back in the country – not to mention in his arms – and constantly had to stop himself from smiling on the plane. He did not want to risk anyone asking him why he was looking so deliriously happy. He planned to tell them about Ziva later when they have all settled in back at home.

Sitting in her seat on the plane that will take her back to America, NCIS and her Tony, Ziva contemplated everything the past few weeks had brought her. Just two months ago, she was a Mossad Officer who lived from assignment to assignment. She killed people when ordered to and did so without a second thought. So much had changed now. She had so much more to live for now. She had her new job as an investigator of murders, rather than committing them. She looked forward to becoming an American citizen. And most of all, she had an incredible soulmate to whom she vowed to spend the rest of her life with, even if she had not told him that in so many words. But she was sure he knew. And if he did not, she would tell him. And she would tell him again.

She was a bit apprehensive of her new co-workers, though. She did now know if they would accept her as part of the team and as Tony's soulmate. She already had Gibbs's approval, but his was not the only one that counted. She thought back on the few days she spent with them and how Abby had basically hated her from the beginning. She could only hope that the Goth could be won over.

Then her thoughts turned to Ari. His funeral had been difficult. She had wept next to his grave and she had so wished for Tony to be there for her. It was very hard for her to see her own brother's coffin lowered into the ground knowing she was the one who had out him there. But she came through it nevertheless, focusing on packing her possessions and having them shipped to her new land.

When the plane started it's descent into Washington, she felt her insides begin to tingle with the knowledge that in just a few minutes she would be reunited with Tony. She was quivering with excitement at seeing him again, feeling his arms wrap around her and his lips covering hers.

Stepping off the aircraft, she cleared customs and collected her bags. Then she walked those endless hallways which were to take her to her new beginning.

Tony waited anxiously at the gate, checking the arrivals every few seconds, only to every single time be assured that her flight was on schedule. When it was finally announced that incoming flight from Tel Aviv had landed, he jumped out of the seat he had forced himself to sit in to stop his endless pacing and stood as close to the gate as he could, hoping to be able to catch a glimpse of her sooner. The minutes passed by as if he could hear a giant clock ticking away each second.

Then finally, finally, he saw her. She was wearing a green top and her hair was loose and curly, framing her beautiful face. Not being able to help himself, he called out to her as he waved his hands frantically in the air to catch her attention.

As soon as she heard his voice, she looked up and her eyes sought him out. Of course he was the crazy man jumping around with his arms in the air. She laughed out loud as she all but dropped her baggage and ran to him.

"Tony!" she cried as soon as she was close enough to crash into him and throw her arms around his neck. They held each other tightly, both glad beyond belief that they were where they belonged again, together. Other passengers watched their interaction and couldn't help but smile at the obvious joy they shared.

Eventually pulling back, but not letting go of each other, Tony stared into Ziva's eyes.

"I'm so glad you're back," he stated as he cupped her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss. They smiled into each other's mouths, content to be reconnected again. They kept the kiss light out of respect to the surrounding people, but neither hesitated to pour all their feelings into it. "I never want to be away from you for that long ever again," was the first words he said to her after he eventually pulled away.

"Neither do I, Tony."

They were silent as they just looked at each other for a while.

"I still can't believe I found you. My soulmate," he said.

She became curious then. "Before all this, did you ever think about soulmates?"

A mischievous expression came across his face. "They were on Decker, right? Sort of a disco thing? Sing a few bars, I'll get it."

She laughed. The joker, like always.

But she would not have him any other way.

**That's it! It is over. Over. Done. Finished.**

**I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited. Special thanks to trixie111 and Adelina-Elise.**

**I am very sad to see this come to an end as I have enjoyed it immensely. I am seriously considering writing a sequel, but I would very much like to hear from you if you want one, so for the first time ever: PLEASE REVIEW.**

**There will be an epilogue, probably for the M-rating of the story, but I shall tell you at the end of it if there will be a sequel. I look forward to hearing from you!**


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's note at the bottom. This goes to the M-side of the story.**

**Disclaimer:** **Blaaaaaaaaaaaaah.**

They took a cab to Tony's place as he refused to let Ziva go from his arms for even the time it would have taken them to climb into the car through their own doors. Sliding into the back of the yellow taxi, Tony rattled off his address to the driver and turned back to look at her.

"You've been in the sun," he remarked. It was true, her skin was a little darker than it had been since he had seen her a week ago.

"I have. It did not take me long to pack, so I spent some time outside."

"Aren't you bringing many things?" he questioned.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "I decided to only pack personal belongings such as clothes, some books and a few ornaments. I will go shopping for furniture when I rent an apartment. That way I will know what I need to buy and not sit with either to much or too little."

"Smart." He was quiet for a while, debating whether to ask his next question. "Will you miss Israel?"

A thoughtful look came upon her face as she figured out her answer.

"I suppose I shall. Though I have travelled so much in my life that I never really got to make my house into a home. I do not think I will miss Mossad, to be honest. Not with the way I feel about it now. But I am happy to be here, Tony," she assured him. "I am happy to be with you."

"And I am happy to have you," he said. He chuckled then. "Listen to me – getting all sappy."

She only smiled at him and leaned up to seal his lips with hers again.

A while later the car came to a standstill in front of Tony's apartment. He paid the fare and went around to take her luggage from the trunk. Then, taking her hand, he led her up to the door. He struggled a little with the keys while holding her bags – refusing to let her carry them – but eventually got the door open. He smiled at her and motioned for her to walk in first.

Before he knew what was happening, he was thrown back against the door, effectively closing it. Not being granted time to protest, his lips were claimed by her hungry mouth, kissing him into oblivion. He unceremoniously dropped her bags and the keys on the floor. His arms wrapped around her waist only to be pushed away again as his shirt was already being pulled from his chest. Freeing his arms from the sleeves, glad he wore a button-down so he didn't have to break the kiss, his hands travelled over her hips and under her top to reciprocate.

Two seconds later, he had flipped them around to press her against the door, his thigh pressed between her legs to add some pressure. She moaned at the contact and gently bit his lip before soothing it again with her tongue. Her fingers fumbled at his belt and moments later he felt the material pool around his feet. He stepped out of it along with his shoes and socks. Her pants soon followed his to the floor and they were standing there, kissing in their underwear while hands roamed every inch of skin available to touch.

He finally rid her of her bra and began massaging her breasts, smiling at the moans she emitted into his mouth. He wanted to explore more of her with his lips, but her own were just too captivating in that moment and he couldn't convince himself to let them go.

Soon they were both naked, their clothes thrown around them in crumpled heaps on the floor.

Tony emitted a loud groan when her hand wrapped around his hard length, stroking him. It was bliss and torture at the same time, because her hand felt so good, but he needed to hold out until later. Trying to distract her, his own hand travelled between her thighs, feeling how wet she is. They both moaned when two of his fingers entered her, stroking her walls slowly, stretching her to accommodate his size. He kept going until she found release, breaking away from his lips to chant his name against his ear, her hot breath sending goose bumps up and down his neck.

Not being able to hold out until they came to the bed, or at least reach the couch, they made love standing up against the front door. The neighbours might have complained, but they were too lost in each other to notice if anyone did. The door creaked with each thrust he gave her, coinciding with the low moans they both released.

They both craved a hard and fast rhythm, but he refused to give in to that craving, as he wanted this moment to stay so sweet, so loving.

"Oh, Ziva," he moaned pressing his face into her neck, smelling her shampoo in the hair that was lightly tickling his cheeks.

"Yes, Tony," she answered him, her one hand entwined in his hair and the other wrapped around his back where she held his to meet his movements.

Finally, they reached their peak together, soaring through that wondrous feeling it brought. Miraculously, they stayed standing, leaning against the door for support.

It took them some time to recover, to catch their breaths. Afterward Tony lifted his head to hers and engaged her lips in a long lazy kiss.

He took her hand then, slowly walking backwards to his bedroom, the beginning of the start to their new life together.

_Their bedroom_, he thought to himself.

**Hey there, guys! Thank you all soooooo much for the response I got on the last chapter. I stopped counting the reviews after we reached ten, which is waaaaaaaaay more than I have ever gotten on a single chapter. **

**This is really it for this story, but we're not stopping here!**

**So, the sequel, titled **_**Heart's Desire **_**(according to my dictionary app, apparently a synonym for the words "soul mate"), will be up within the next week. I plan to make it follow Ziva's first few weeks at NCIS and beyond.**

**I'll see you all there!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Hey guys! I am so very sorry for the long wait to the sequel I promised you, but my laptop broke down and I lost everything I had worked on. Lesson learned? Make a back-up. Always.**

**Thus, in the wait for the sequel to be posted, I have decided to post a little snippit of what is to come. Not necessarily a spoiler, as I won't be giving away the entire plot.**

**Hope you enjoy it in any case.**

**Disclaimer: Seriously?**

It was a slow day at NCIS. Strange really, considering they were usually too busy to even know the definition of the term "social life". Also, the silence hanging upon the squad room was quite queer. Normally Tony would either be throwing paper balls at McGee's head, counting how many it took for the Probie to explode, or he would be teasing said Probie about – in Tony's opinion – his lack of a sex life. McGee's sex life that is. Because his own with Ziva was going awesome.

Being reminded of the Israeli beauty, he glanced over to where she was sitting at her desk across the way from him. She was typing intently, though for the life of him he could not think what she was working on, as they had no open cases. Probably the cold cases Gibbs told them to work on even though they rarely ever did.

It was too quiet. Much too quiet for Tony's liking. Something had to give. And it had to be soon, otherwise he was sure he was going to go insane.

Suddenly Ziva got up from her chair and made her way out of the squad room, to where he had no idea.

A few hours later, the four agents all still sat at their desks, pretending to be busy. A phone rang, finally breaking the silence. A male hand whipped out to pick the receiver up from its cradle, pressing it to his ear, only to flinch when Abby's voice came through much too loud.

"Could you come to my lab?"

"Yeah, what's this about?"

"I'll tell you when you get here. Just hurry!" she demanded before he could begin to formulate his answer.

Looking at the phone confusedly, he merely shook his head and got up to see whatever it was the Goth wanted from him.

He got on the elevator, and stood in silence – again – as he waited for the metal box to take him down to the right floor. As the doors slid open, he expected to hear loud music coming from inside the forensics lab, as was Abby's style.

But it was quiet there too.

This was really starting to get strange. The silence pressed in on him as he walked through the door and that was when he knew. Something was going to give. And soon.

He stood next to her table, waiting for her to look up from whatever she was doing as she has not acknowledged his presense yet.

Eventually she looked up. Slowly.

It gave when she spoke.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"


	43. Chapter 43

Hello everyone.I know you have all been waiting for the sequel to this story to be posted, but my grandfather passed away (as I told you he as very ill in chapter 19). I do not know when I will be getting back to writing and posting as we are very busy with arrangements that have to be made. I am sorry for the long wait, but I'm putting this on hiatus for now. I hope you understand.

Thank you to all the well-wishes I have gotten. I truly appreciate your support.

Until we meet again,

N


End file.
